▪ I. † reable, a. Sc. Obs. rare—1.
[Cf. reable v.]
Legitimate.
| 1581 N. Burne in Cath. Tract. (S.T.S.) 164/5 To persuade the people that he micht be reable air [= heir] to his father, ye preachit euer..that promeiss of mariage vas lauchful mariage. |
▪ II. reable, v.
(rɪˈeɪb(ə)l)
Also 6 -abill, -hable.
[f. re- + able v., prob. after F. ra-, rhabiller.]
† 1. trans. To confirm, to legitimize. Sc. Obs.
| 1521 in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 282 The Duc [of Albany] chalengethe the iiij{supt}{suph} parte of her conjunctefee to be his enheritaunce..and is reabled to the same by acte of parliament. 1536 Bellenden Cron. Scot. (1821) II. 452 That thay [the children] micht be lawchful and reabillit, be virtew of the matrimony subsequent. 1597 Skene De Verb. Sign. s.v. Bastardus, Ane bastard, legitimat and rehabled in his life-time. a 1682 Sempill Picktooth for Pope 395 Poems (1849), A bastards name doth duly them befit For they were never reabled as yet. |
2. Med. To rehabilitate (a patient).
| 1945 Lancet 24 Mar. 387/2 For some year or two I have suggested to friends who write or teach that we should say ‘reable’ instead of ‘rehabilitate’. It therefore gives me pleasure..to read of ‘reabling’ and ‘reablement’ in your last three issues. 1947 E. Spriggs in I. Brown Say Word 101, I am glad to see that the words Reable and Reablement are now being frequently used in the Lancet and other journals. |
Hence reˈablement, rehabilitation.
| 1945 Lancet 3 Mar. 275/2 The committee believe that a revised programme of reablement should be administered by a senior tuberculosis officer. 1945, 1947 [see 2 above]. 1955 Brit. Jrnl. Physical Med. XVIII. 119/1 Reablement is seen as an intricate problem which has to be considered from very various aspects. 1968 Lancet 2 Nov. 985/2 To be comprehensive and successful any reablement programme must be built on well-organised services for health, education, social work, and vocational training. |