Hypertext Webster Gateway: "impairment"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Impairment \Im*pair"ment\, n. [OE. enpeirement, OF. empirement.]
The state of being impaired; injury. ``The impairment of my
health.'' --Dryden.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
impairment
n 1: the occurrence of a change for the worse [syn: {damage}, {harm}]
2: a symptom of reduced quality or strength [syn: {deterioration}]
3: the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of
physical or mental unfitness; "reading disability";
"hearing impairment" [syn: {disability}, {disablement}, {handicap}]
4: damage that results in a reduction of strength or quality
5: the act of making something futile and useless (as by
routine) [syn: {stultification}, {deadening}]
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