Dictionary

incapacitate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌɪn.kəˈpæ.sɪ.teɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Mid-17th century, from incapacity + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French incapaciter.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make someone or something incapable of doing something; to disable.
   • The police officer was incapacitated by a blow to the head.
2. (transitive) To make someone or something incapable of doing something; to disable. ▸ To imprison a potential offender and thereby prevent them from offending.
   • Wilson's principal motivation for situation-oriented policies was the desire to change the real world by proposing politically practicable policies. And his principle prescription was to incapacitate a larger number of habitual offenders. 2001, Bernard E. Harcourt, Illusion of Order:
3. (transitive) To make someone ineligible; to disqualify.

Forms

Deriveds

incapacitation · incapacitated · incapacitating

Synonyms

disable · prostrate · prostrate

Translations (10)

cs zbavit svéprávnosti (to deprive of one's legal capacity) · yue 令癱瘓 /令瘫痪 (to put out of action, to render ineffective) · pl ubezwłasnowolnić (to deprive of one's legal capacity) · sh онеспособити (to put out of action, to render ineffective) · pl czynić niesprawnym (to put out of action, to render ineffective) · pl ubezwłasnowolniać (to deprive of one's legal capacity) · it impossibilitare (to put out of action, to render ineffective) · pl uczynić niesprawnym (to put out of action, to render ineffective) · mi whakakaurapa (to put out of action, to render ineffective) · it inibire (to deprive of one's legal capacity)