Main Entry:

com·pe·tence

Pronunciation:

\ˈkäm-pə-tən(t)s\

Function:

noun

Date:

1605

1: a sufficiency of means for the necessities and conveniences of life <provided his family with a comfortable competence — Rex Ingamells>2: the quality or state of being competent: as a: the properties of an embryonic field that enable it to respond in a characteristic manner to an organizer b: readiness of bacteria to undergo genetic transformation 3: the knowledge that enables a person to speak and understand a language — compare performance 6