Both Uses of
competent
in
Ulysses, by James Joyce
- I believe in that myself because it has been explained by competent men as the convolutions of the grey matter.†
Chpt 16 *competent = sufficiently capable
- That as a competent keyless citizen he had proceeded energetically from the unknown to the known through the incertitude of the void.†
Chpt 17
Definitions:
-
(1)
(competent) capable (able to do something in a generally satisfactory manner) -- sometimes specifically to have legal capability
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) In the field of law, competent has the specialized meaning of being legally qualified to do something such as to be mentally fit to make reasonable decisions; or to have jurisdiction or authority to take an action.
In classic literature, a competency can refer to having an income or assets to support living expenses.