Incapacitate

C2 16+
Pronunciation Definitions Examples Grammatical Forms Origin and Evolution

Pronunciation: /ɪnˌkæpəˈsɪteɪt/

Definitions of incapacitate

verb to deprive of strength or ability; disable

Example Sentences

A1 The injury incapacitated him from playing in the game.

A2 The flu virus can incapacitate a person for several days.

B1 The security guard was incapacitated by a blow to the head.

B2 The hacker attempted to incapacitate the company's website with a cyber attack.

C1 The new legislation aims to incapacitate terrorist organizations from carrying out attacks.

C2 The poison was designed to incapacitate the target without causing permanent harm.

Examples of incapacitate in a Sentence

formal The new security system is designed to incapacitate any intruders attempting to break in.

informal I twisted my ankle and it totally incapacitated me from playing in the basketball game.

slang The knockout punch completely incapacitated his opponent in the boxing match.

figurative The overwhelming stress of the situation seemed to incapacitate her ability to think clearly.

Grammatical Forms of incapacitate

past tense

incapacitated

plural

incapacitate

comparative

more incapacitated

superlative

most incapacitated

present tense

incapacitates

future tense

will incapacitate

perfect tense

has incapacitated

continuous tense

is incapacitating

singular

incapacitates

positive degree

incapacitated

infinitive

to incapacitate

gerund

incapacitating

participle

incapacitated

Origin and Evolution of incapacitate

First Known Use: 1650 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'incapacitate' originated from the Latin word 'incapacitare', which is a combination of 'in-' (meaning 'not') and 'capacitare' (meaning 'to make capable').
Evolution of the word: Originally used in the 17th century, 'incapacitate' meant to make someone incapable or unfit for a particular task or role. Over time, the word has come to be used more broadly to describe the act of rendering someone unable to function effectively or carry out tasks due to physical or mental impairment.