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impair

verb
/ɪmˈpɛə/UK/ɪmˈpɛɹ/US/ɪmˈpeə/

Etymology

From Middle English impairen, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, from Early Medieval Latin impeiōrāre, from in- + Late Latin peiōrāre (“worsen”), from peiōrem (“worse”), comparative of malus (“bad”).

  1. derived from peiōrō — “worsen”
  2. derived from impeioro
  3. derived from empoirier
  4. inherited from impairen

Definitions

  1. To weaken

    To weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on.

    • In 2016, it was announced that Jones had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a form of dementia that impairs the ability to communicate.

  2. To grow worse

    To grow worse; to deteriorate.

    • Flesh may empaire,[…]but reason can repaire.

  3. Not fit or appropriate

    Not fit or appropriate; unsuitable.

    • giues he not till iudgement guide his bounty, / Nor dignifies an impaire thought with breath:
  4. ›+ 3 more definitions

    1. The act of impairing or deteriorating.

    2. The fact of being impaired or having grown worse.

    3. An impairment or deterioration.

      • Suppoſe a mans credit ſhould ſuffer an impair with thoſe whoſe cenſure is not to be valued; yet think, which is worſe, ſhame or ſin? Wilt thou ſin againſt God to ſave thy credit?

The neighborhood

Derived

impairable, impairer, impairment

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at impair. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01impair02negatively03damaging04harmful05harm06hurt07injury08damage

A definitional loop anchored at impair. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at impair

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA