incontinency

Thân thiện

A patient discusses managing incontinency with a healthcare professional.

Definition

Noun: 1. The inability to control the discharge of bodily excretions, especially urine or feces: This is the primary medical and formal meaning, referring to a lack of voluntary control over urination or defecation. 2. Lack of self-restraint, especially in sexual desire (archaic): In older or literary contexts, it can refer to a general lack of moderation or chastity. This usage is now rare.

Usage Examples

• Medical context:
  • The patient's incontinency required the use of protective garments.
  • After the surgery, he experienced temporary incontinency.
• Archaic/Literary context:
  • The moralists of the era condemned him for his incontinency. (This example illustrates the outdated usage.)

Advanced Usage

• "Urinary incontinency": Specifies the inability to control bladder function.
  • Stress urinary incontinency is common after childbirth.
• "Fecal incontinency": Specifies the inability to control bowel movements.
  • Fecal incontinency can be a symptom of nerve damage.

Variants and Related Words

• Incontinence (n): This is the far more common and preferred modern form of the word, used identically in both medical and archaic senses. "Incontinency" is considered a less frequent variant.
• Incontinent (adj): Describes a person suffering from incontinence or (archaically) lacking self-restraint.
  • An incontinent patient.
  • Incontinent desires. (archaic)

Synonyms

• Medical: Incontinence, enuresis (specifically for urinary incontinence), lack of bladder/bowel control.
• Archaic: Intemperance, licentiousness, unchastity.

Notes on Usage

• Frequency: "Incontinency" is a low-frequency word. In almost all modern contexts, "incontinence" is the standard term, especially in medical and everyday language.
• Register: Using "incontinency" may sound overly formal or archaic. It is advisable for learners to use "incontinence."
• Meaning Focus: When encountered, the word almost always refers to the medical condition unless the context is clearly historical or literary.

Học thuật

Noun

1. involuntary urination or defecation

Từ đồng nghĩa

• incontinence