Where does “incapacitate” come from?
Incapacitate comes from English incapacity, from Latin incapax meaning unable to hold, derived from in- not plus capax able to hold, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p- to seize.
incapacitate (English): To make someone or something incapable of doing...
Definitions
- To make someone or something incapable of doing...
Ancestry of “incapacitate”, step by step
incapacitate traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English incapacity
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | incapacity | The lack of a capacity; an inability; Legal... |
| 2 | English | capacity | The ability to hold, receive or absorb; A measure... |
| 3 | Middle English | capacite | Ability, competence, capableness; the degree to... |
| 4 | Old French | capacite | — |
| 5 | Latin | capācitās | capability; capacity |
| 6 | Latin | capāx | That can contain or hold much; wide, large, spacious, capacious, roomy |
| 7 | Latin | -āx | ish, -y |
| 8 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 9 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |
via French incapacité
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | incapacité | inability |
| 2 | French | in- | in-; un- |