the quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble
<noun.attribute>
an inability (usually of the male animal) to copulate
<noun.state>
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.
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. Lack of self-restraint or self-control. [R.] --Milton.
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]
The two popular reasons for the alleged impotence of monetary policy are that banks won't or can't lend and that potential borrowers won't or can't borrow.
His 'To be or not to be' fumes with dashed hopes, guilty impotence in a corrupt world, the certain knowledge of crimes committed in an unaccountable past.
Steroids have been linked to heart disease and impotence.
Despite the new drugs, internal prostheses remain the most widely used solution for physically caused impotence.
The stalemate dominated Carter's last year in office and became a politically crippling symbol of impotence.
The tablet takes effect about 15 minutes after being swallowed and works best with men whose impotence derives from psychological problems or poor arterial blood flow. Even its name is under wraps while Zonagen tries to secure patent protection.
Such impotence emboldens others.
Diabetes is one of the few diseases that can cause impotence. However, once diabetes is diagnosed and controlled, potency may be restored.
'Are the lives of Pakistanis cheaper, or is our job to be completed less effectively?' asked Mr Sardar Aseef, the foreign minister, during an inspection tour this month. The complaint masks the impotence of the peacekeepers who remain.
But researchers studying the disorder now agree that the majority of cases of impotence in men over 40 spring from physical causes, especially glitches in the nerve and circulatory mechanisms.
Therefore they have no personal responsibility. The principle of political impotence may also apply to prime ministers.
If Europe's leaders fail to produce results, they cannot complain about growing American jibes at European impotence. There are three reasons for the setbacks: lack of preparation, lack of generosity, and lack of competence.
There is no longer such frustration and feelings of impotence.
In fact, researchers are finding that major causes of cardiovascular disease also are closely associated with impotence.
He says that all segments of Colombian society are suffering from a sense of "impotence" over their inability to control events around them.