Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “impairment” come from?

Impairment comes from Middle English impairment, from Old French -ment, from Latin -mentum, a noun-forming suffix derived from Latin -are and -arius, ultimately from Latin in-.

impairment (English): The result of being impaired; A deterioration or...

Definitions

  1. The result of being impaired; A deterioration or...

Ancestry of “impairment”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishimpairTo weaken; to affect negatively; to have a...
2Middle Englishimpairen—
3Old Frenchempoirierto worsen
4Vulgar Latinimpeioro—
5Latinpēior—
6Latinmalusunpleasant, distressing, painful, nasty, bad;...
7Ancient Greekμηλέα—
8Ancient Greekμῆλονapple; any fruit from a tree; a woman's breast
9Proto-Indo-European(s)meh₁l-small animal”; small animal

Words derived from “impairment”

  • empairment
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₁l- →