impairment
意味一覧 (2件)
障害
解説 Definition
身体や精神の機能が低下したり、障害を受けたりすることを意味します。能力の減少や損傷を指します。
Impairment is a condition in which part of the body or mind does not work fully or normally. It is often used in medical, legal, or social contexts to describe reduced ability, such as hearing, vision, or movement impairment. The word focuses on limitation, not the person.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
この「障害」は、impairment を医学・福祉・法律などで用いるときの名詞として覚えるとよいです。視覚・聴覚・認知など、ある能力が制限されている状態を指し、person with a visual impairment のように人そのものではなく状態を述べる表現で使われます。別エントリの基本義「機能低下」よりも、分類名・状態名としての用法に寄った意味だと区別しましょう。
See `impairment` as `impair + -ment`: first the action, then the result or condition. It often goes with functions like `hearing`, `vision`, or `memory`, so think of something working less well. That helps separate it from `damage`, which is broader, and `disability`, which is often a larger life condition.
例文
The accident caused a serious impairment to his hearing.
その事故は彼の聴力に深刻な障害をもたらした。
Cognitive impairment can affect memory and decision-making.
認知障害は記憶や意思決定に影響を与える可能性があります。
He received treatment for his visual impairment.
彼は視覚障害の治療を受けた。
機能低下
(意味 2)解説 Definition
impairment は、体・認知・判断力・性能などが本来よりうまく働かなくなる「機能低下」を表す名詞です。hearing, vision, memory, judgment など具体的な機能と結びつき、医学・法律・技術文書で、程度や原因を冷静に述べる時によく使われます。
Impairment is a reduction in how well a body part, mental ability, judgment, or system works. It is often used with specific functions such as hearing, vision, memory, or judgment. The word is common in medical, legal, and technical contexts when someone describes the degree or cause of reduced function in a calm, exact way.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
impairment は impair「損なう、弱める」に -ment「状態・結果」が付いた名詞。repair は「直す」ですが、impair は反対に働きを悪くする方向です。damage は物理的な損傷まで広く言えますが、impairment は attention impairment, memory impairment, performance impairment のように、何かの機能が十分に働かない状態に焦点があります。別エントリの「障害」と混同せず、まずは「働きが落ちること」と覚えると整理しやすいです。
Remember that impairment means a state of reduced function because it comes from impair plus -ment, which often shows a state or result. You may know repair as "fix," so impair can help you remember the opposite direction: making something work less well. Unlike damage, which can be physical and broad, impairment focuses on function, as in memory impairment or performance impairment.
例文
The doctor found mild hearing impairment in his left ear.
医師は彼の左耳に軽い聴力の機能低下があると判断した。
Sleep deprivation can lead to memory impairment and poor decision-making.
睡眠不足は記憶の機能低下や判断力の低下を引き起こすことがある。
The report noted a temporary impairment in system performance after the update.
報告書は更新後にシステム性能の一時的な機能低下があったと述べていた。
impairment の語源・成り立ち Etymology
impairment は impair「損なう」に接尾辞 -ment が付いた語で、impair は古フランス語を経てラテン語 pejorare「悪くする」にさかのぼります。pejorative も同語根で、核は「悪い方向へする」こと。単なる欠如でなく、状態が落ちる感じが語源に出ています。
Impairment is built from impair and the noun suffix -ment. Impair came into English through Old French and goes back to Latin pejorare, meaning "to make worse." The word originally carried the idea of worsening a condition, and that sense remains in English. A related word from the same root is pejorative.
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