bekwaam

Bekwaam is a Dutch adjective meaning capable, competent, or qualified to perform a task, role, or legal act. The related noun bekwaamheid denotes competence or capability. It is used in both everyday language and more formal contexts to describe someone who possesses the necessary skills, knowledge, or authority.

In everyday use, bekwaam can describe a person’s practical ability or fitness for a job or activity. Examples include a bekwaam monteur (competent mechanic) or a bekwaam bestuurder (qualified driver). The term can refer to physical or mental ability as well as to formal authorization to act in a given context.

In legal contexts, bekwaam often appears in phrases such as handelingsbekwaamheid, the capacity to perform legal acts. Adults are generally handelingsbekwaam, whereas minors and certain individuals with mental impairments may lack full capacity and require guardianship or curatorship. The concept covers both skill and the legal power to enter into rights and obligations.

Distinctions with related terms: bekwaam emphasizes competence or capability, while geschikt usually refers to suitability for a specific task rather than formal capacity. The word appears frequently in dictionaries, professional standards, and legal texts to denote qualification or fitness for a particular function.

Etymology: The term derives from Old Dutch roots meaning to be fit or suitable, with the prefix be- signaling a state. It has cognates in other Germanic languages and remains a stable part of Dutch legal and professional vocabulary.