impairment
impairment Lexical Profile
impairment Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The state or fact of being diminished, weakened, or damaged, especially in a physical or mental faculty.
"The patient was referred to a specialist after experiencing a gradual visual impairment."
In accounting and finance, a permanent reduction in the recoverable value of a fixed or intangible asset below its recorded book value.
"The corporation recorded a substantial goodwill impairment on its annual balance sheet following the market downturn."
Word Nuance & Usage
In clinical and disability studies, 'impairment' refers specifically to the biological loss or abnormality of an anatomical, physiological, or psychological structure or function, whereas 'disability' often describes the resulting limitation in performing activities or interacting with society.
• Rhymes for impairment
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in late Middle English from the verb 'impair' (from Old French empeirier, meaning 'to make worse', derived from Late Latin inpeiorare, from Latin peior 'worse') combined with the suffix '-ment'.