habilitation

H4A1B3I1L1I1T1A1T1I1O1N1
/həˌbɪlɪˈteɪʃən/

noun

Equipment; qualification.

UncommonScrabble 17

Meanings

nounhabilitation (countable and uncountable, plural habilitations)

plural habilitations

  1. countableuncountableEquipment; qualification.

    For the things which we formerly have spoken of, are but habilitation arms: and what is habilitation without intention and act?

    1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC
  2. countableuncountableAn act of habilitating.
  3. countableuncountableAn academic qualification, prerequiring a PhD, required in order to gain tenure as a professor in some European universities; a thesis or dissertation presented to achieve the qualification.

    In 1892 his^([Kazimierz Twardowski's]) dissertation on Descartes, Idee und Perception, appeared and was followed in 1894 by his habilitation thesis, Zur Lehre vom Inhalt und Gegenstand der Vorstellungen.

    1999, Robin D. Rollinger, Husserl's Position in the School of Brentano, page 139
    3 more examples

    At this same time Gadamer was at work on his habilitation with Heidegger. His habilitation, Plato's Dialectical Ethics, concerned Plato's understanding of the good, and its two leading concepts were dialogue and dialectic.

    1994, Robert J. Dostal, “The Experience of Truth for Gadamer and Heidegger: Taking Time and Sudden Lightning”, in Brice Wachterhauser, editor, Hermeneutics and Truth, page 60

    For one year it had been occupied by Otfried Müller, a priest from Silesia, who was trying simultaneously to advance the work for his habilitation—truly a difficult undertaking, considering the demands of teaching two core theological courses.

    1998, Joseph Ratzinger, Milestones: Memoirs, 1927-1977, unnumbered page

    In the period from 1803 to 1932 as a whole, professors of law were on average the youngest to complete their Habilitation (28.5 years), trailed by theologians (29.8 years) and natural scientists (29.8 years).

    2010, Peter Meusburger, Thomas Schuch, “From Mediocrity and Existential Crisis to Scientific Excellence: Heidelberg University Between 1803 and 1932”, in Peter Meusburger, David N. Livingstone, Heike Jöns, editors, Geographies of Science, page 79
  4. UScountableuncountableThe act of supplying money to work a mine.

Origin

  1. Latinhabilitāre
  2. Latinhabilitatio
  3. Englishhabilitation

From Latin habilitatio, from Latin habilitāre.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian хабилитация
  • хабилитация (habilitacija)postdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Czech habilitace
  • habilitacepostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Dutch habilitatie
  • habilitatiepostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Esperanto habilitiĝo
  • habilitiĝopostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Finnish habilitaatio
  • habilitaatiopostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
French habilitation
  • habilitationpostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
German Habilitation
  • Habilitationpostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Greek υφηγεσία
  • υφηγεσία (yfigesía)postdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Hungarian habilitáció
  • habilitációpostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Italian abilitazione
  • abilitazionepostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Korean 하빌리타치온
  • 하빌리타치온 (habillitachion)postdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Latin habilitatio
  • habilitatiopostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Latvian habilitācija
  • habilitācijapostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Lithuanian habilitacija
  • habilitacijapostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Norwegian Bokmål habilitasjon
  • habilitasjonpostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Persian شایستگی
  • شایستگیpostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Polish habilitacja
  • habilitacjapostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Portuguese habilitação
  • habilitaçãopostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Russian хабилита́ция
  • хабилита́ция (xabilitácija)postdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Slovak habilitácia
  • habilitáciapostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Spanish habilitación
  • habilitaciónpostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Turkish habilitasyon
  • habilitasyonpostdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure
Ukrainian габіліта́ція
  • габіліта́ція (habilitácija)postdoctoral academic qualification required for tenure

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with habilitation

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

habilitation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/habilitation

MLA

“habilitation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/habilitation. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “habilitation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/habilitation.

Source: habilitation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.