adept
UK[əˈdɛpt]US[əˈdɛpt]
adj
very skilled or proficient at something
n
a person who is skilled or proficient at something
Morpheme Breakdown
ad
ept
ad
to
ept
suitable
Etymology
the word 'adept' originates from the latin past participle 'adeptus', meaning 'having attained'. this derives from the verb 'adipisci', a compound of 'ad-' (to) and 'apisci' (to reach, attain), which is related to 'aptus' (fitted, suitable). the term was notably adopted into medieval latin 'adeptus' to describe an alchemist who had supposedly attained the secret of the philosopher's stone. from this specialized sense of one who has attained great skill in a mysterious art, the meaning broadened in english to its current general sense of being highly skilled or proficient in any field.
Analysis
Structure: ad (to) + ept (suitable)
ad- (latin, prefix meaning 'to, toward'); ept (latin, from 'aptus' meaning 'fitted, suitable')
Examples
she is adept at solving complex mathematical problems.
he became an adept in the art of negotiation.
the programmer was adept in multiple coding languages.