incontinent

English

Etymology

From Middle English incontinent, from Old French incontinent, from Latin incontinens, from in + continens.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪŋˈkɒntɪnənt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Adjective

incontinent (comparative more incontinent, superlative most incontinent)

1. (often followed by of) Unable to contain or retain.
2. Plagued by incontinence; unable to retain natural discharges or evacuations, most commonly of urine or feces.
   • 2016, Thoughty2, Is This the Most Stupid Animal in the World?‎, via YouTube:

     About 90% of all koalas have chlamydia... which makes them incontinent, so they spend all day pissing themselves.

   • 2018 [1993], Gail Kern Paster, The Body Embarrassed‎, Cornell University, page 92:

     The male body, opened and bleeding, can assume the shameful attributes of the incontinent female body as both cause of and justification for its evident vulnerability and defeat.

3. Lacking moral or sexual restraint, moderation or self-control, especially of sexual desire.

   Synonyms: wanton, lewd

4. Unrestrained or unceasing.

   an incontinent river of pure water

5. (colloquial) Immediate; without delay.

Antonyms

• continent
• restrained

Derived terms

• doubly incontinent
• incontinent ordinance

Related terms

Translations

Adverb

incontinent (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Immediately, forthwith.
   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     He says he will return incontinent:

Noun

incontinent (plural incontinents)

1. (obsolete) One who is unchaste.
   • 1598, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. ”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: Will Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     O, old Incontinent, dost not thou shame

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French incontinent, from New Latin incontinens. Equivalent to in- +‎ continent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪŋ.kɔn.tiˈnɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧con‧ti‧nent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Adjective

incontinent (not comparable)

1. incontinent (unable to restrain natural discharges)

   Antonym: continent

Inflection

Related terms

• incontinentie

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.kɔ̃.ti.nɑ̃/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle French incontinent, borrowed from Latin incontinentem, from in + continens.

Adjective

incontinent (feminine incontinente, masculine plural incontinents, feminine plural incontinentes)

1. (medicine) incontinent, suffering from incontinence, enuretic

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin in continenti.

Adverb

incontinent

1. (now literary) forthwith, at once

Further reading

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

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin incontinens, incontinentem, from in + continens.

Adjective

incontinent m (feminine singular incontinente, masculine plural incontinens, feminine plural incontinentes)

1. incontinent (lacking restraint)

Adverb

incontinent

1. immediately; straight away; right away

Antonyms

• continent

Descendants

• French: incontinent

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French incontinent.

Adjective

incontinent m or n (feminine singular incontinentă, masculine plural incontinenți, feminine and neuter plural incontinente)

1. incontinent

Declension