Other forms: impairments
An impairment is a loss or reduction of a bodily or mental function. Visual impairment, hearing impairment, cognitive impairment.
The social model of disability separates impairment from disability: the impairment is the loss of function and the disability is what society's arrangements do about it — a step is what disables a wheelchair user, not the wheelchair. In accounting, impairment is a write-down in an asset's value. Note impair.
1nounimpairmentA loss or reduction of a bodily or mental function.
“The exam board gives extra time to students with a visual impairment.”
2nounwriteA write-down in an asset's value.
“The company announced a large impairment on the value of its oil fields.”
impairment is a reduction of function.
Old French empeirement comes from empeirer, to make worse, from Latin pejor, worse. Pejorative comes from the same worsening.
Old French
ampirement
Anglo-Norman
empairement
Middle English
empeirement
English, today
impairment
From Middle English empeirement, empeyrement, emparement, from Anglo-Norman empairement, emperement, enpeirement, from Old French ampirement, anpirement, enperement, equivalent to impair + ment.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA