inability
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Pronunciation
- IPA: UK /ˌɪn.əˈbɪl.ə.ti/, US /ˌɪn.əˈbɪl.ə.t̬i/[1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Middle English inhabilite, borrowed from Middle French inhabilité, from in- and habilité (“ability”),[2] or formed from in- and ability.[3] Earlier English had unability, incapability (late 14th century).[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Disqualification for office: the mid-15th century in Etymonline.[3] The OED also has the condition of being unable from the 15th century.[4]
Semantic evolution
The general sense, the state of being unable, is recorded by about 1500.[3] Bodily infirmity was an inability from 1640, a sense now obsolete,[4] and the construction with a following to, inability to do something, is from 1644.[4]
Timeline
- late 14th century – unability.[3]
- mid-15th century – disqualification for office.[3]
- c. 1500 – the state of being unable.[3]
- 1644 – inability to do something.[4]
Modern meaning
Noun
- Lack of ability or means; incapacity.
Related words
References
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press