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impaired

 - 9 dictionary results

im⋅paired

[im-paird]
–adjective
1. weakened, diminished, or damaged: impaired hearing; to rebuild an impaired bridge.
2. functioning poorly or inadequately: Consumption of alcohol results in an impaired driver.
3. deficient or incompetent (usually prec. by an adverb or noun): morally impaired; sports-impaired.

Origin:
impair + -ed 2

im⋅pair

[im-pair]
–verb (used with object)
1. to make or cause to become worse; diminish in ability, value, excellence, etc.; weaken or damage: to impair one's health; to impair negotiations.
–verb (used without object)
2. to grow or become worse; lessen.
–noun
3. Archaic. impairment.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME empairen, empeiren to make worse < MF empeirer, equiv. to em- im- 1 + peirer to make worse < LL pējōrāre, equiv. to L pējōr-, s. of pējor worse + -ā- thematic vowel + -re inf. suffix; cf. pejorative


im⋅pair⋅a⋅ble, adjective
im⋅pair⋅er, noun
im⋅pair⋅ment, noun


1. See injure.


1. repair.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To impaired
im·pair   (ĭm-pâr')   
tr.v.   im·paired, im·pair·ing, im·pairs
To cause to diminish, as in strength, value, or quality: an injury that impaired my hearing; a severe storm impairing communications.

[Middle English empairen, from Old French empeirer, from Vulgar Latin *impēiōrāre : Latin in-, causative pref.; see in-2 + Late Latin pēiōrāre, to worsen (from Latin pēior, worse; see ped- in Indo-European roots).]
im·pair'ment n.
im·paired   (ĭm-pârd')   
adj.  
  1. Diminished, damaged, or weakened: an impaired sense of smell.

  2. Functioning poorly or incompetently: a driver so tired as to be impaired.

  3. Having a physical or mental disability: an impaired child in need of special assistance.

n.   (used with a pl. verb)
People who have a physical or mental disability considered as a group: a swimming class for the physically impaired.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
impaired

  1. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated. (Euphemistic.) : He was so impaired he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

impair 
c.1374, earlier ampayre, apeyre (1297), from O.Fr. empeirier, from V.L. *impejorare "make worse," from L. in- "into" + L.L. pejorare "make worse," from pejor "worse." In ref. to driving under the influence of alcohol, first recorded 1951 in Canadian Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: im·pair
Pronunciation: im-'per
Function: transitive verb
1 : to damage or make worse by or as if by diminishing <impaired health>
2 : to diminish the value of (property or property rights); specifically : to diminish the value of (legal contractual obligations) to the point that a party loses the benefit of the contract or the contract otherwise becomes invalid impairing a state's own obligations was entitled to less deference —Gerald Gunther> —see also CONTRACT CLAUSEim·pair·ment noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: im·pair
Pronunciation: im-'pa(&)r, -'pe(&)r
Function: transitive verb
: to damage or make worse by or as if by diminishing in somematerial respect impaired by overwork> —im·pair·ment /-'pa(&)r-m&nt/ noun

Main Entry: impaired
Function: adjective
: being in a less than perfect or whole condition: as a : handicapped or functionally defective —oftenused in combination impaired> b : intoxicated by alcohol or narcotics impaired>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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