impair

English

Alternative forms

• empair (obsolete, rare)

Etymology

From Middle English impairen, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, from Early Medieval Latin impeiōrāre, from in- + Late Latin peiōrāre (“worsen”), from peiōrem (“worse”), comparative of malus (“bad”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɛə(ɹ)/, /ɪmˈpɛː(ɹ)/

  • Audio (Southern England)

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• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɛɹ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpeə(ɹ)/, /ɪmˈpeː(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

Verb

impair (third-person singular simple present impairs, present participle impairing, simple past and past participle impaired)

1. (transitive) To weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on.
   • 2020 January 22, Stuart Jeffries, “Terry Jones obituary”, in The Guardian‎:

     In 2016, it was announced that Jones had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a form of dementia that impairs the ability to communicate.

2. (intransitive, archaic) To grow worse; to deteriorate.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. , London: [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Flesh may empaire, […] but reason can repaire.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:hinder

Derived terms

• impairment

Translations

Adjective

impair (comparative more impair, superlative most impair)

1. (obsolete) Not fit or appropriate; unsuitable.
   • c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:

     giues he not till iudgement guide his bounty, / Nor dignifies an impaire thought with breath:

Noun

impair (plural impair or impairs)

1. (obsolete) The act of impairing or deteriorating.
2. (obsolete) The fact of being impaired or having grown worse.
3. (obsolete) An impairment or deterioration.
   • 1671, Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes, pages 146–147:

     Suppoſe a mans credit ſhould ſuffer an impair with thoſe whoſe cenſure is not to be valued; yet think, which is worſe, ſhame or ſin? Wilt thou ſin againſt God to ſave thy credit?

Further reading

• “impair”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “impair”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “impair”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin impār. By surface analysis, im- +‎ pair.

Adjective

impair (feminine impaire, masculine plural impairs, feminine plural impaires)

1. odd (of a number)

   Antonym: pair

   3 est un nombre impair. ― 3 is an odd number.

Antonyms

• pair

Derived terms

• fonction impaire
• nombre impair

Further reading

• “impair”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Anagrams

• primai