facility

facility
facility, faculty
1. Facility (from Latin facilis meaning ‘easy’) means ‘ease or ready ability to do something, aptitude’:

• Firstborn children have greater verbal facility, and there is evidence that they have more successful relationships with their teachers —Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1973.

It also has a concrete meaning which has proliferated greatly in the 20c, of ‘something that provides an amenity or service’, used in the singular or plural and referring either to the provision of an amenity or to the amenity itself:

• Other recreational facilities include two lighted tennis courts, a swimming pool and a jogging trail —Philadelphia Inquirer, 1976

• You don't need a generously proportioned tub to fit a spa or whirlpool bath facility —Do It Yourself, 1990

• Solihull Council…has set out plans to build a ‘large’ casino at the NEC, although the facility could be built anywhere in the borough —Birmingham Post, 2007.

A common use is in finance and banking, to denote an arrangement such as a loan or overdraft:

• If you want credit, a bank facility is usually better value than even a good dealer can offer —Opera Now, 1990.

2. Faculty means ‘an aptitude or ability to do something’ in the sense of an inborn or inherent power rather than a proficiency developed (for example) by practice. The faculty of language is the natural ability of humans to speak, whereas a facility for language is an individual's particular skill in speaking.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • facility — fa‧cil‧i‧ty [fəˈsɪlti] noun facilities PLURALFORM 1. facilities [plural] PROPERTY special buildings or equipment that have been provided for a particular use, such as sports activities, shopping or travelling: • The hotel s leisure facilities… …   Financial and business terms

  • Facility — Fa*cil i*ty (f[.a]*s[i^]l [i^]*t[y^]), n.; pl. {Facilities} (f[.a]*s[i^]l [i^]*t[i^]z). [L. facilitas, fr. facilis easy: cf. F. facilit[ e]. See {Facile}.] 1. The quality of being easily performed; freedom from difficulty; ease; as, the facility… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • facility — I (easiness) noun ability, adeptness, adroitness, capability, competence, deftness, dexterity, ease, effortlessness, expertise, expertness, facilitas, flexibility, fluency, freedom from difficulty, grace, gracefulness, proficiency, quickness,… …   Law dictionary

  • facility — [n1] ease; ability address, adroitness, aptitude, bent, child’s play*, competence, dexterity, efficiency, effortlessness, expertness, fluency, knack, leaning, lightness, poise, proficiency, propensity, quickness, readiness, skill, skillfulness,… …   New thesaurus

  • facility — [fə sil′ə tē] n. pl. facilities [ME & OFr facilite < L facilitas, easiness < facilis, FACILE] 1. ease of doing or making; absence of difficulty 2. a ready ability; skill; dexterity; fluency 3. [usually pl.] the means by which something can… …   English World dictionary

  • facility — (n.) early 15c., gentleness, from M.Fr. facilité, from L. facilitatem (nom. facilitas) easiness, ease, fluency, willingness, from facilis easy (see FACILE (Cf. facile)). Its sense in English moved from genteelness to opportunity (1510s), to… …   Etymology dictionary

  • facility — ease, dexterity, *readiness Analogous words: spontaneity, *unconstraint, abandon: address, poise, *tact: lightness, effortlessness, smoothness (see corresponding adjectives at EASY) Contrasted words: ineptness, clumsiness, awkwardness,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • facility — ► NOUN (pl. facilities) 1) a building, service, or piece of equipment provided for a particular purpose. 2) a natural ability to do something well and easily …   English terms dictionary

  • facility — noun 1 (usually facilities) buildings/services/equipment ADJECTIVE ▪ excellent, first class, good ▪ adequate, appropriate, proper, suitable …   Collocations dictionary

  • facility — 01. Our neighborhood swimming pool is a wonderful [facility], with a wave pool, diving boards, a huge water slide and lots of equipment for small children to play on. 02. Construction has finally begun on athletic [facilities] for the next summer …   Grammatical examples in English

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