Incapacity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɪnkəˈpæsɪti/

Definitions

1. A state of being unable to perform a task or function due to physical, mental, or legal limitations
2. A condition in which an individual cannot execute certain duties or responsibilities due to physiological, psychological, or legal barriers
3. The situation where someone lacks the ability to carry out tasks or activities because of physical, cognitive, or statutory restrictions

Etymology: Incapacity is a plain English compound: the negative prefix "in-" attached to "capacity." The base word goes back to the Latin "capere," meaning "to take" or "to hold," which gave English a whole family of words about containing and grasping. "Capacity" came into English through Old French "capacité," from Latin "capacitas," a word for room or ability to hold, so the original sense is literal space inside a container before it became a figure for mental or practical power. The prefix is where the Latin lineage gets its twist. "In-" is the same negating element found in words like "inactive" or "invisible," and it simply reverses whatever it is attached to. Put "not" in front of "capacity" and you get the absence of the capacity to do something, which is why the word can describe a lack of legal competence as well as a plain inability to act.

Synonyms: disability, inability, impairment, weakness, deficiency

Antonyms: capacity, ability, competence, strength, power