aptitude
n. C / Un. a natural ability or skill to do something well. You use this when someone is naturally good at a task without much training.
n. a natural ability or inherent capacity to acquire a particular skill or perform a specific task. Often implies a latent potential rather than a fully developed expertise.
She showed a natural aptitude for learning new languages.
The recruitment process includes a test to measure each candidate's aptitude for logical reasoning and problem-solving.
While he lacked formal training in engineering, his innate aptitude for mechanical systems allowed him to repair the complex machinery with surprising ease.
From Middle French aptitude, from Medieval Latin aptitudo, from Latin aptus (“apt, fit”). By surface analysis, apt + -itude. Doublet of attitude.
Often followed by the preposition 'for'. When used as a countable noun, it refers to a specific talent; as an uncountable noun, it refers to general potential.