Im'po-tent1, a.
a. [Fr. impotent, Sp. & It. impotente, Lat. impotens; prefix im, for in, not, and potens, potent, powerful.]
Sense 1. Not potent; wanting power, strength, or vigor, whether physical, intellectual, or moral; deficient in capacity; destitute of force; weak; feeble.
Not slow to hear, Nor impotent to save. Addison.
Sense 2. Wanting the power of self-restraint; of ungoverned passion; violent. “Impotent of tongue, her silence broke.” Dryden.
Sense 3. (Law.) Wanting the power of procreation; unable to copulate; also, sometimes, sterile; barren.