incontinence

English

Etymology

From Middle English incontinence, from Old French incontinence, from Latin incontinentia.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkɒntɪnəns/

Noun

incontinence (countable and uncountable, plural incontinences)

1. (dated) Lack of self-restraint, an inability to control oneself; unchastity.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society, published 1973, page 119:

     Allworthy was sufficiently offended by this transgression of Jones; for notwithstanding the assertions of Mr Western, it is certain this worthy man had never indulged himself in any loose pleasures with women, and greatly condemned the vice of incontinence in others.

2. (urology) The inability of any of the physical organs to restrain discharges of their contents; involuntary discharge or evacuation (of urine or feces).

Synonyms

• (lack of self-restraint): acrasia, incontinency

Antonyms

• continence
• (lack of self-restraint): chastity

Derived terms

• incontinence diaper
• incontinence pad
• stress incontinence

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ten-‎ (1 c, 60 e)

Translations

lack of self-restraint

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: несдържаност (bg) f (nesdǎržanost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無節制／无节制 (wú jiézhì)

• Finnish: siveettömyys (fi)
• German: Zügellosigkeit (de) f, Hemmungslosigkeit (de) f
• Irish: neamh-mheasarthacht f, ainriantacht f
• Italian: incontinenza (it) f
• Japanese: 自制がない (ja) (じせいがない, jisei ga nai), 抑制できない (ja) (よくせいできない, yokusei dekinai)
• Manx: neuyeeinymneeaght f, neuyeeinymaght f
• Portuguese: incontinência (pt) f
• Russian: несде́ржанность (ru) f (nesdéržannostʹ)
• Spanish: incontinencia (es) f

inability to restrain discharge

• Arabic: سَلَس‎ (salas)
• Catalan: incontinència f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 失禁 (zh) (shījìn)

• Danish: inkontinens (da) c
• Dutch: incontinentie (nl)
• Finnish: karkailu (fi), inkontinenssi (fi)
• French: incontinence (fr) f
• German: Inkontinenz (de) f
• Greek: ακράτεια (el) f (akráteia)
• Irish: neamhchoinneálacht f
• Italian: incontinenza (it) f
• Japanese: 失禁 (ja) (しっきん, shikkin)
• Norwegian: inkontinens (no) m
• Polish: inkontynencja (pl) f
• Portuguese: incontinência (pt) f
• Russian: недержа́ние (ru) n (nederžánije), инконтине́нция f (inkontinéncija) (rare)
• Spanish: incontinencia (es) f
• Swedish: inkontinens (sv) c

References

• “incontinence”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “incontinence”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

incontinence f (plural incontinences)

1. incontinence

Further reading

• “incontinence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.