noun

• The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.
• The quality or state of being able or suitable for a particular task; the quality or state of being competent for a particular task.
• The system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language, as opposed to its actual use in concrete situations (performance), cf. :w:linguistic competence.
• A sustainable income.
• The legal authority to deal with a matter.
• The degree to which a rock is resistant to deformation or flow.