>there is no ept

except, of course, as a back-formation.

1938 E. B. WHITE Let. Oct. (1976) 183, I am much obliged.. to you for your warm, courteous, and ept treatment of a rather weak, skinny subject. 1966 Time 30 Sept. 7/1 With the exception of one or two semantic twisters, I think it is a first-rate job--definitely ept, ane and ert. 1976 N.Y. Times Mag. 6 June 15 The obvious answer is summed up by a White House official's sardonic crack: ‘Politically, we're not very ept.’ [OED2]