different between indict vs impair

English

Etymology

From Middle English enditen, endyten, from Old French enditer, from Late Latin indict?re, from Latin in- + dict?re. Doublet of indite.

The irregular spelling is due to the word having been borrowed into Middle English from Old French, and not from Latin as was the case with most other descendants of dict?re (but see dight). The borrowed /i?/ regularly shifted to /a?/ in the course of the Great Vowel Shift; the "c" represents a later attempt at graphic Latinisation.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -a?t
• (US) IPA^(key): /??n?da?t/
• Homophone: indite

Verb

indict (third-person singular simple present indicts, present participle indicting, simple past and past participle indicted)

1. To accuse of wrongdoing; charge.

2. (law) To make a formal accusation or indictment for a crime against (a party) by the findings of a jury, especially a grand jury.

Derived terms

• indictable
• indictment

Translations

See also

• indite

English

Alternative forms

• empair (obsolete, rare)

Etymology

From Middle English impairen, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, variant of empirier (“to worsen”), from Vulgar Latin *imp?i?r?, from im- + Late Latin p?i?r? (“to make worse”), from peior (“worse”), comparative of malus (“bad”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?p??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)

Verb

impair (third-person singular simple present impairs, present participle impairing, simple past and past participle impaired)

1. (transitive) To weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on.
2. (intransitive, archaic) To grow worse; to deteriorate.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)

Synonyms

• blunt, diminish, hurt, lessen, mar, reduce, weaken, worsen

Derived terms

• impairment

Translations

Adjective

impair (comparative more impair, superlative most impair)

1. (obsolete) Not fit or appropriate; unsuitable.

Further reading

• impair in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• impair in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• impair at OneLook Dictionary Search

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imp?r, equivalent to im- +? pair.

Adjective

impair (feminine singular impaire, masculine plural impairs, feminine plural impaires)

1. odd (of a number)

   Antonym: pair

Derived terms

• fonction impaire
• nombre impair

References

• “impair” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Antonyms

• pair

Anagrams

• primai