idoneus

Idoneus is a Latin adjective meaning "suitable, fit, proper." It is used in classical Latin to describe something judged as appropriate for a particular purpose, person, or situation. The feminine form is idonea and the neuter is idoneum; the word is declined regularly as a 1st/2nd declension adjective (masculine idoneus, feminine idonea, neuter idoneum; plural idonei, idoneae, idonea).

In Latin literature the term typically occurs attributively with a noun, to indicate that someone is a suitable candidate or that an object is appropriate for a task. It can also appear predicatively after forms of esse or fieri, meaning "is suitable" or "is fit." As a common adjective, it is not a proper noun and does not designate a specific entity.

In modern scholarly contexts, idoneus is encountered mainly in discussions of Latin grammar, lexicography, or historical texts. It may also appear in coined or stylized titles in fiction or academic works to evoke a Latin flavor; in those cases it is not used as a current term in ordinary English.

Historically, the noun form idoneitas expresses the quality of suitability, and related forms are found in Latin dictionaries and grammars. The term is related to, but distinct from, synonyms such as aptus, utile, or conveniens, while sharing the general sense of appropriateness.

See also: Latin grammar, Latin adjectives, idoneitas, aptus.