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competence
Pronunciation (kom′pĕ-tents)
- The quality of being competent or capable of performing an allotted function.
- In psychiatry, an antidote to certain types of anxiety.
- The normal tight closure of a cardiac valve.
- The ability of a group of embryonic cells to respond to an inducer.
- The ability of a (bacterial) cell to take up free DNA, which may lead to transformation.
- In psychiatry, the mental ability to distinguish right from wrong and to manage one's own affairs, or to assist one's counsel in a legal proceeding.
- The state of reactivity of a cell, tissue, or organism that allows it to respond to certain stimuli.
[Fr. competence, fr. L.L. competentia, congruity]
WebMD Medical Reference from "Stedman's Medical Dictionary"
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Stedman’s Medical Dictionary 28th Edition, Copyright© 2006_Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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