noun
aptitude
AP-tih-tood/ˈæptɪtuːd/
A natural ability to learn or do something well.
The child shows musical aptitude by easily repeating the teacher's violin melody.
Etymology
The underlying idea is fitness or suitability. Aptitude came to mean a natural capacity to learn: being inherently suited to acquiring a skill.
In context
I perceive in him a certain aptitude for the work of governing, so that, with a little trimming of his understanding, he would manage any government as easily as the king does his taxes
More examples
- The test measures mathematical aptitude.
- He showed an early aptitude for repairing machines.
- Students bring different aptitudes to the workshop.
Forms
aptitude · aptitudes