incapacitate

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

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɪn.kəˈpæ.sɪ.teɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

incapacitate (third-person singular simple present incapacitates, present participle incapacitating, simple past and past participle incapacitated) (transitive)

1. To make someone or something incapable of doing something; to disable.

   The police officer was incapacitated by a blow to the head.

   1. (law enforcement) To imprison a potential offender and thereby prevent them from offending.
      • 2001, Bernard E. Harcourt, Illusion of Order:

        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.

2. (law) To make someone ineligible; to disqualify.

• See Thesaurus:disable

• incapacitated
• incapacitating
• incapacitation

Borrowed from French incapacité. Equivalent to in- +‎ capacitate.

incapacitate f (uncountable)

1. incapacity

incapacitate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of incapacitar combined with te