What does "apt" mean?

Apt: Having an habitual tendency; habitually liable or likely; -- used of things. My vines and peaches . . . were apt to have a soot or smuttiness upon their leaves and fruit. Temple. This tree, if unprotected, is apt to be stripped of the leaves by a leaf-cutting ant. Lubbock.

Additional senses

2.Inclined; disposed customarily; given; ready; -- used of persons. Apter to give than thou wit be to ask. Beau. & Fl. That lofty pity with which prosperous folk are apt to remember their grandfathers. F. Harrison.
3.Ready; especially fitted or qualified (to do something); quick to learn; prompt; expert; as, a pupil apt to learn; an apt scholar. "An apt wit." Johnson. Live a thousand years, I shall not find myself so apt to die. Shak. I find thee apt . . . Now, Hamlet, hear. Shak.
4.To fit; to suit; to adapt. [Obs.] " To apt their places." B. Jonson. That our speech be apted to edification. Jer. Taylor.

Sources

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00