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incapacity
/ˌɪnkəˈpæsɪti/
lack of ability or power
The court ruled that the defendant's incapacity prevented him from standing trial.
The defendant was unable to participate in the trial due to a lack of mental or physical ability.
general
The state of being unable to perform a task or function, either physically or mentally.
Her incapacity to work left her family struggling financially.
She was unable to work, causing financial difficulties for her family.
This is the most common usage of the word.
Law
formal
In legal contexts, the inability of a person to manage their own affairs due to mental or physical disability.
The judge declared the elderly man legally incapacitated and appointed a guardian.
The judge determined the man was unable to manage his own affairs and assigned someone to help him.
This usage is specific to legal and medical contexts.
Medicine
technical
In medical contexts, the inability to perform normal activities due to illness or injury.
The doctor noted the patient's incapacity to walk after the accident.
The patient was unable to walk following the accident, as observed by the doctor.
This usage is specific to medical and healthcare contexts.
Collocations
legal incapacitya formal legal determination that someone cannot manage their own affairsmental incapacitythe inability to think or reason properly due to mental illness or injuryphysical incapacitythe inability to perform physical tasks due to injury or illness
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Legal Context
In legal contexts, 'incapacity' often refers to the inability to manage one's own affairs due to mental or physical disability.
Medical Context
In medical contexts, 'incapacity' refers to the inability to perform normal activities due to illness or injury.
Gold Rule
Formal Usage
'Incapacity' is a formal word and is often used in legal and medical contexts. Avoid using it in casual conversation.
Word Origin
From Middle French 'incapacité', from Latin 'incapacitas', from 'in-' (not) + 'capacitas' (capacity).
Usage Notes
The word is often used in legal and medical contexts to describe a lack of ability to perform certain tasks or manage one's own affairs.
Word Breakdown
in-
not
prefixcapacity
ability or power
root-ity
state or quality
suffixEnglish Dictionary