IMPOTENCE, med. jur. The incapacity for copulation or propagating the species. It has also been used synonymously with sterility. 2. Impotence may be considered as incurable, curable, accidental or temporary. Absolute or incurable impotence, is that for which there is no known relief, principally originating in some malformation or defect of the genital organs. Where this defect existed at the time of the marriage, and was incurable, by the ecclesiastical law and the law of several of the American states, the marriage may be declared void ab initio. Com. Dig. Baron and Feme, C 3; Bac. Ab. Marriage, &c., E 3; 1 Bl. Com. 440; Beck's Med. Jur. 67; Code, lib. 5, t. 17, l. 10; Poyn. on Marr. and Div. ch. 8; 5 Paige, 554; Merl. Rep. mot Impuissance. But it seems the party naturally impotent cannot allege that fact for the purpose of obtaining a divorce. 3 Phillim. R. 147; S. C. 1 Eng. Eccl. R. 384. See 3 Phillim. R. 325; S. C. 1 Eng. Eccl. R. 408; 1 Chit. Med. Jur. 877; 1 Par. & Fonb. 172, 173. note d; Ryan's Med. Jur. 95. to 111; 1 Bl. Com. 440; 2 Phillim. R. 10; 1 Hagg. R. 725. See, as to the signs of impotence, 1 Briand, Med. Leg. c. 2, art. 2, Sec. 2, n. 1; Dictionnaire des Sciences Medicales, art. Impuissance; and, generally, Trebuchet, Jur. de la. Med. 100, 101, 102; 1 State Tr. 315; 8 State Tr. App. No. 1, p. 23; 3 Phillm. R. 147; 1 Hagg. Eccl. R. 523; Fodere, Med. Leg. Sec. 237.

Source: Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
 

Impotence \Im"po*tence\, Impotency \Im"po*ten*cy\, n. [L. impotenia inability, poverty, lack of moderation. See Impotent.]

1. The quality or condition of being impotent; lack of strength or power, animal, intellectual, or moral; weakness; feebleness; inability; imbecility. [1913 Webster]

Some were poor by impotency of nature; as young fatherless children, old decrepit persons, idiots, and cripples. --Hayward. [1913 Webster]

O, impotence of mind in body strong! --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. Lack of self-restraint or self-control. [R.]

--Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. (Law & Med.) Lack of procreative power; inability to copulate, or beget children; also, sometimes, sterility; barrenness; specifically, in males: the inability to achieve or sustain a penile erection; erectile dysfunction. [1913 Webster +PJC]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

132 Moby Thesaurus words for "impotence": absurdity, adynamia, aimlessness, anemia, aridity, atony, barrenness, birth control, blah feeling, bloodlessness, bootlessness, cachexia, cachexy, carelessness, carnality, coldness, contraception, cowardice, dearth, debilitation, debility, dry womb, dryness, dullness, easiness, easygoingness, emptiness, enervation, etiolation, faintness, family planning, famine, fatigue, fatuity, fecklessness, feebleness, flabbiness, flaccidity, flesh, fleshliness, forcelessness, frailty, frigidity, fruitlessness, futility, helplessness, hollowness, impotency, imprecision, inadequacy, inanity, incompetence, indifference, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficaciousness, inefficacy, ineptness, infecundity, infertility, lack of force, lack of influence, lack of magnetism, lack of personality, lack of power, languishment, languor, lassitude, laxity, laxness, leniency, libido, listlessness, looseness, loosening, love, lovemaking, marriage, meaninglessness, negligence, no say, nugacity, otiosity, overindulgence, overpermissiveness, permissiveness, planned parenthood, pointlessness, potency, powerlessness, profitlessness, prostration, purposelessness, rat race, relaxation, relaxedness, remissness, sensuality, sex drive, sexiness, sexual instinct, sexual urge, sexualism, sexuality, slackness, sloppiness, sluggishness, softness, sterileness, sterility, strengthlessness, the absurd, triviality, unauthoritativeness, unfertileness, unfruitfulness, uninfluentiality, unpersuasiveness, unproductiveness, unprofitability, unprofitableness, unrestraint, valuelessness, vanity, vicious circle, voluptuousness, weakliness, weakness, weariness, withered loins, worthlessness

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

impotence

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Impotence \Im"po*tence\, Impotency \Im"po*ten*cy\, n. [L. impotenia inability, poverty, want of moderation. See Impotent.]

1. The quality or condition of being impotent; want of strength or power, animal, intellectual, or moral; weakness; feebleness; inability; imbecility.

Some were poor by impotency of nature; as young fatherless children, old decrepit persons, idiots, and cripples. --Hayward.

O, impotence of mind in body strong! --Milton.

2. Want of self-restraint or self-control. [R.]

--Milton.

3. (Law & Med.) Want of procreative power; inability to copulate, or beget children; also, sometimes, sterility; barrenness.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)