incapacitate

American  

[in-kuh-pas-i-teyt] / ˌɪn kəˈpæs ɪˌteɪt /

verb (used with object)

incapacitated, incapacitating

1. to deprive of ability, qualification, or strength; make incapable or unfit; disable.

   Synonyms:

   weaken, impair, sideline, handicap

2. Law. to deprive of the legal power to act in a specified way or ways.

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incapacitate British  

/ ˌɪnkəˈpæsɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. to deprive of power, strength, or capacity; disable

2. to deprive of legal capacity or eligibility

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Other Word Forms

• incapacitation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of incapacitate

First recorded in 1650–60; incapacit(y) + -ate ¹

Explanation

If you are incapacitated, you can’t do what you normally do, what you’re being asked to do — or perhaps, much of anything. To incapacitate someone is to cause him or her to be unable to function normally, like a bad cold that incapacitates you. The verb incapacitate is related to the word capacity. Capacity comes from the Latin word capacitas, meaning “that can contain,” or how much something — brain, bucket or otherwise — can hold. The prefix in- reverses the meaning and when the suffix -ate is added, incapacitate means someone has been made unable to “contain” much — like attention, effort, or energy.

Example Sentences

Incapacitate, in-kap-as′i-tāt, v.t. to deprive of capacity: to make incapable: to disqualify.—ns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Related Words

• cripple
• disable
• immobilize
• maim
• paralyze