Incapably

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Lacking the ability or capacity to perform a specific task or function
2. unable to execute actions effectively, often resulting in failure or inadequacy
3. characterized by a persistent inability to achieve desired results or goals

Etymology: "Incapably" is simply "incapable" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added. The adjective "incapable" comes from Latin roots meaning "not able to take in" or "not able to hold," built from the negating prefix "in-" and "capable," which itself traces back to the Latin "capere," to take or hold. English took the adjective and then attached the native suffix "-ly," which descends from an old Germanic word for "body" or "form" that became a suffix meaning "in the manner of." That suffix has a long pedigree. Its ancestors run back through Proto-Germanic "*-līkaz" and Old English "-līċe," and it was once a full, independent noun. Over centuries "-līċe" worn down into Middle English "-ly," and the same ending now turns almost any adjective into an adverb. The result, "incapably," describes doing something in a manner marked by repeated failure to reach a goal.

Synonyms: helplessly, incompetently