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REFERENCE

competence

n.
US //ˈkɑmpətɪns// UK //kˈɒmpɪtəns// com·pe·tence
  1. 1 ability or skill (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the ability to do a job or a task to a required standard.

    the quality or state of being functionally adequate or having sufficient knowledge and skill for a particular purpose.

    Example

    The manager questioned his competence after he made several basic mistakes in the report.

    Example

    The certification process is designed to ensure that all practitioners reach a minimum level of professional competence before they are allowed to work independently.
  2. 2 legal authority (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Technical Law

    the legal power of a court or person to deal with a specific matter.

    the legal authority or jurisdiction of a court, person, or institution to adjudicate or take action in a specific area.

    Example

    The local court does not have the competence to decide on international trade disputes.

    Example

    The defense argued that the tribunal lacked the legal competence to hear the case, as the alleged incidents occurred outside its geographical jurisdiction.
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  1. 3 linguistic knowledge (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Linguistics

    the natural knowledge a person has of their own language's rules.

    the internalized system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers, distinguished from 'performance' or actual speech.

    Example

    Even if you make a mistake while tired, your underlying linguistic competence remains the same.

    Example

    Chomsky's distinction between competence and performance suggests that a speaker's occasional slips of the tongue do not reflect a lack of grammatical knowledge.
    • linguistic knowledge
  2. 4 rock resistance (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    how much a rock can resist changing shape under pressure.

    the degree to which a rock or mineral layer is resistant to deformation or flow under tectonic stress.

    Example

    The competence of the granite layer meant it cracked rather than folded under the pressure.

    Example

    Variations in rock competence across the strata resulted in complex folding patterns during the mountain-building event.
  3. 5 sufficient income (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

    an amount of money or income that is enough to live on comfortably.

    a sufficient income or fortune to provide the necessities and comforts of life without manual labour.

    Example

    He inherited a modest competence from his uncle, allowing him to retire to the countryside.

    Example

    In nineteenth-century novels, a character's primary goal was often to secure a competence through marriage or inheritance to ensure social standing.

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