Infertilities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A condition characterized by the inability to conceive or produce offspring despite having regular unprotected sexual intercourse
2. The state where an individual or couple is unable to achieve pregnancy after a prolonged period of trying to conceive
3. A medical term describing inadequate reproductive capacity in individuals, often due to various physiological or genetic factors

Etymology: "Infertilities" is simply the plural of "infertility," the state of being unable to produce offspring or, in a broader sense, of land failing to yield crops. The noun is formed from "infertile," which combines the Latin prefix "in-" meaning "not" with "fertilis," meaning fruitful or productive. Its ultimate source is "ferre," to bear or carry, the same root that gives English "fertile," "fecund," and "ferry" as distant relatives. The noun came into English by way of Middle French "infertilité," which itself was taken from Late Latin "infertilitas." Using the plural form, as in "infertilities," treats the condition as a set of separate cases, which suits medical and statistical writing where each individual or cause is counted on its own.

Synonyms: barrenness, sterility, unproductiveness, impotence, infecundity

Antonyms: fertility, fruitfulness, fecundity, productiveness