Maneuverabilities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being able to move quickly and efficiently in a variety of directions
2. the capacity for skillful or clever tactics in handling situations
3. the degree of adaptability in managing movements or strategies effectively

Etymology: "Maneuverabilities" is simply the plural of "maneuverability," so the history belongs to that noun. The base word, "maneuver," came into English from French in the 1700s, ultimately from the Latin "manu operari," meaning "to work by hand." The suffix that turns it into "maneuverability" is a chain of borrowings: Latin "-abilitas" passed through Middle French "-abilité," then Middle English "-ablete," and finally English "-ability," which attaches to verbs to mean "the capacity to be done." The word's shape therefore records a long handoff between languages. Each stage kept the sense of "capable of being worked," so a maneuverable vehicle is one that can be worked into different positions, and its maneuverability is the measure of how well it can be worked that way. The plural simply counts several such qualities across different machines, aircraft, or people.

Synonyms: agility, flexibility