IMPOTENTLY

helplessly, impotently

(adverb) in a helpless manner; “the crowd watched him helplessly”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adverb

impotently (comparative more impotently, superlative most impotently)

In an impotent manner.

Source: Wiktionary


Im"po*tent*ly, adv.

Definition: In an impotent manner.

IMPOTENT

Im"po*tent, a. Etym: [F. impotent, L. impotens, -entis; pref. im- not + potens potent, powerful. See Potent.]

1. Not potent; wanting power, strength. or vigor. whether physical, intellectual, or moral; deficient in capacity; destitute of force; weak; feeble; infirm. There sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent inhis feet. Acts xiv. 8. O most lame and impotent conclusion! Shak. Not slow to hear, Nor impotent to save. Addison.

2. Wanting the power of self-restraint; incontrolled; ungovernable; violent. Impotent of tongue, her silence broke. Dryden.

3. (Med.)

Definition: Wanting the power of procreation; unable to copulate; also, sometimes, sterile; barren.

Im"po*tent, n.

Definition: One who is imoitent. [R.] Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

12 June 2025

RAREFACTION

(noun) a decrease in the density of something; “a sound wave causes periodic rarefactions in its medium”


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Coffee Trivia

The world’s most expensive coffee costs more than US$700 per kilogram. Asian palm civet – a cat-like creature in Indonesia, eats fruits, including select coffee cherries. It excretes partially digested seeds that produce a smooth, less acidic brew of coffee called kopi luwak.

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