Incompatibilities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The situation in which two or more things cannot effectively work together because of fundamental differences
2. A scenario where conflicts arise due to the inability of various elements to harmonize and operate in unison
3. The circumstance where certain items or ideas fail to function well together due to inherent opposition

Etymology: The plural "incompatibilities" is simply the plural of "incompatibility," so the history is that of the singular. That noun is formed from "incompatible," which came into English by way of French, from medieval Latin "incompatibilis," meaning "not able to exist together" (in-, "not," plus compatibilis, "able to bear with"). The English word then took the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. Its Latin ancestor, "-itas," passed into Middle English through Old French as "-ite," before settling into the modern "-ity." Put together, the plural names the various situations in which things clash: each separate case where two items or ideas cannot coexist in working order.

Synonyms: conflicts, discrepancies, inconsistencies, divergences, contradictions

Antonyms: compatibilities, accords, harmony, agreement, congruence