All 3 Uses of
competent
in
The Idiot
- But I did not ask him to correct my style; I simply went to him for information concerning the facts, of which I was ignorant to a great extent, and which he was competent to give.†
Chpt 2.10competent = sufficiently capable
- I have been told this by competent authorities.†
Chpt 3.3 *
- This old gentleman informed him that the thing was perfectly feasible if he could get hold of competent witnesses as to Muishkin's mental incapacity.†
Chpt 4.10
Definitions:
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(1)
(competent) capable (able to do something in a generally satisfactory manner) -- sometimes specifically to have legal capability
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(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.