disable

From dis- +‎ able.

• IPA^(key): /dɪsˈeɪbəl/
• IPA^(key): (obsolete) /dɪzˈeɪbəl/^[1]

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪbəl

disable (third-person singular simple present disables, present participle disabling, simple past and past participle disabled)

1. (transitive) To render unable; to take away an ability of, as by crippling.
2. (chiefly of a person) To impair the physical or mental abilities of; to cause a serious, permanent injury.

   Falling off the horse disabled him.

   • 2013, Steven McLaughlin, Clubland UK: On the Door in the Rave Era:

     Krav is a martial art of last resort that assumes no quarter and focuses purely on disarming, disabling and, if necessary, destroying your opponent.

   • 2016, Justin O. Schmidt, The Sting of the Wild, Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 102:

     Fire ants circumvented the problem of an ineffective sting by having an unusual and highly effective venom that when daubed or sprayed on other ants penetrates their waxy protective integumental barrier and kills or disables them.

3. (chiefly electronics, computing) To deactivate, to make inoperational (especially of a function of an electronic or mechanical device).

   The pilot had to disable the autopilot of his airplane.

   • 2016, M. Marisaldi, A. Argan, A. Ursi, T. Gjesteland, F. Fuschino, C. Labanti, M. Galli, M. Tavani, C. Pittori, F. Verrecchia, F. D'Amico, N. Østgaard, S. Mereghetti, R. Campana, P.W. Cattaneo, A. Bulgarelli, S. Colafrancesco, S. Dietrich, F. Longo, F. Gianotti, P. Giommi, A. Rappoldi, M. Trifoglio, A. Trois, “Enhanced detection of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes by AGILE”, in arXiv‎^[2]:

     At the end of March 2015 the onboard software configuration of the AGILE satellite was modified in order to disable the veto signal of the anticoincidence shield for the minicalorimeter instrument.

• unable (nonstandard), see also Thesaurus:disable
• deactivate

• enable

disable (comparative more disable, superlative most disable)

1. (obsolete) Lacking ability; unable.
   • 1595, Samuel Daniel, “(please specify the folio number)”, in The First Fowre Bookes of the Ciuile Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke, London: […] P[eter] Short for Simon Waterson, →OCLC:

     Our disable and unactive force.

• labside, baldies, basiled, diables

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪsebl/, /ˈdɪʃebl/

disable (third-person singular simple present disables, present participle disablein, simple past disablet, past participle disablet)

1. disable, disqualify