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Glite Dictionary
to habilitate

to habilitate

1 9.9
To gain the right to teach and lead research at a university after extra study beyond a doctorate
  • verb
  • /ˌhæbɪˈleɪt/
  • Formal
translation icon : habilitar
  • To teach at a university in Germany, candidates must first complete the process to habilitate.

Examples

  • She found that 20 percent of the students at the schools for the blind were graduating without being habilitated.

    Academic text (1997)

  • He tried to "habilitate" to get a rather low salary as a lecturer, but the missing final examination did not meet the university's requirements, so he was not accepted for habilitation.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The criminological assessment of the helping professions has been that of being less than helpful in terms of rehabilitating criminals (in returning them to society) or in habilitating criminals (in turning them towards a non-criminal society that they've never been a part of).

    Academic text (1994)

  • Many academics aspire to habilitate in order to secure a permanent teaching position at a reputable institution.

  • After years of research and publication, she was finally eligible to habilitate, allowing her to teach graduate courses.

Surface Forms

habilitate infinitive
habilitated past
habilitated past participle
habilitating present participle
habilitates third person singular

Morphology

habilitate = habilit + ate

Formed from a learned Latin combining stem 'habilit-' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ate'; the stem is not a standalone English word and the meaning is specialized (academic qualification), so learners cannot reliably infer the sense from visible parts.

Etymology

The word habilitate comes from the Latin habilis, meaning 'able' or 'suitable', and is related to the common English word ability. So to habilitate is to become officially 'able' to teach and lead research on your own.