▪ I. impair, n.1 Obs. or arch.
(ɪmˈpɛə(r))
Also 7 em-.
[f. impair v.]
An act of impairing; the fact of being impaired; impairment.
| 1568 North tr. Gueuara's Diall Pr. (1582) 371 Halfe a dishonour, and an impair of his credit. 1598 Chapman Achilles' Shield in Homer (1875) 13 Nor is it more impair to an honest and absolute man's sufficiency to have few friends, than [etc.]. 1612 ― Widowes T. Plays 1873 III. 36 Pocket it:..it's no impaire to thee: the greatest doo't. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 102 Such and such like affoord they yearely without empaire to themselues. 1677 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. iv. iii. 318 An impair of that Sovereignty and Dominion over the Creatures. 1848 J. A. Carlyle tr. Dante's Inferno 28 To keep its beauty from impair. |
▪ II. ˈimpair, a. (and n.2)
[Cf. F. impair unequal (1484 in Godef. Compl.), and pair.]
† 1. (?) ‘Unsuitable’ (T.), unfit; inferior. Obs. (But the reading is disputed.)
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iv. v. 103 (Fol. 1) Yet giues he not till iudgement guide his bounty, Nor dignifies an impaire [Qo. 1 impare; Globe, etc. impure] thought with breath. |
2. a. Not paired; not forming one of a pair; odd. b. n. An unpaired individual thing; an odd one. In roulette (with pronunc. ɛ̃pɛr), an odd number, or a number marked ‘impair’.
| 1839–47 Todd Cycl. Anat. III. 829/1 This impair bone..is..the representative of the superior occipitals of Cuvier. 1850 Bohn's Hand-bk. Games 348 (Roulette) The impair wins, when the ball enters a hole numbered impair. 1880 J. Abercromby in Academy 23 Oct. 294/1 Grouping the letters in two sets of pairs and an impair, which again pairs with the other impairs. 1891 ‘L. Hoffman’ Cycl. Card & Table Games 626 If he places his money on Impair, he bets that the ball will drop into an odd number. 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 304/1 Pair indicates even numbers, impair odd numbers. 1966 ‘W. Haggard’ Power House xii. 125 The croupier was paying out. Mortimer was on the Impair side. 1973 L. Meynell Thirteen Trumpeters iv. 66 His right hand was..stretching out to place his stake on the next throw (a green on pair)... ‘Impair’ was called. |
▪ III. impair, v.
(ɪmˈpɛə(r))
Forms: α. 4 ampayr-i, anpayr-i, apayr-i, etc. (see appair). β. 4–6 enpeire, -peyre, -paire, -payre, empeyre, 4–7 empare, empeire, -paire, -payre, 5 enpare, 7 empair. γ. 5–7 impaire, -payre, 6 impeire, impere, inpayre, 6–7 impare, 7– impair.
[The current form impair is a partially Latinized refashioning of the earlier empaire, empeire, a. OF. empeirer, ampeirer to make worse:—Lat. type *impēiōrāre to make worse, f. im- (im-1) + pēior worse. The earliest form was ampayre, whence apeyre appair. Empeyre, closest to contemporary French, was commonest in 15–16th c. Late in 15th c. the prefix began to be spelt im- after Lat., giving the current impair, which has superseded empair since c 1660. Cf. appair, pair, empyre.]
1. trans. To make worse, less valuable, or weaker; to lessen injuriously; to damage, injure.
| α [1297–1643: see appair 1.] |
| β c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iv. pr. iii. 93 (Camb. MS.) Thanne is the Meede of goode folk swich þat no day shal enpeyren it. c 1375 Cato Major iv. xxxiv. in Anglia VII, Empeyre þou nouȝt hire fame. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. ccxxxiv. 270 Y⊇ cytie of Danas..he assauted and enpayred very sore. 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 253 b, The possession might seme to be enpaired. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 315 In hope that I shoulde recover my health, which sicknesse had empayred. 1602 W. Fulbecke 2nd Pt. Parall. 22 Whereby hee was empeired and became worse. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. ii. ii. §77 It never wastes nor empairs an Estate. 1658–78 Phillips, Empair [1696 (ed. 5) Impair]. |
| γ 1488–9 Act 4 Hen. VII, c. 19 The defence of this land..[is] impaired. 1533 More Debell. Salem Wks. 1029/2 [It] yet helpeth not hys matter, but impayreth it much. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 665 Satan..could not beare Through pride that sight, and thought himself impaird. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 239 No time will impair or decay those Grey Kentish Bricks. 1742 Young Nt. Th. vii. 986 This argument is old; but truth No years impair. 1862 Sir B. Brodie Psychol. Inq. II. ii. 50 The best memory may be impaired by neglect. |
b. refl.
| 1481 Caxton Myrr. i. iv. 14 They empayre them self so moche that they may not lerne no good. 1484 ― Curial 3 Wyse men..for none auauncement ne hauyng of good enpayre not them self. |
† c. pass. To be destitute of, or badly off for.
| 1591 Horsey Trav. (Hakluyt Soc.) 255 If I wear impared of mony, he would send me out of his own treasur. |
2. intr. (for refl.) To grow or become worse, less valuable, weaker, or less; to suffer injury or loss; to deteriorate, fall off, or decay. ? Obs.
| α [1340–1581: see appair 2.] |
| β c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 4691 Þe power of hem enpayrede faste. 1486 Bk. St. Albans C vj b, The Eyghen will swell and empeyre in her hede. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxix. 279 The kynge..lay sore sicke..and euery daye he enpayred worse and worse. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. vii. 41 Flesh may empaire,..but reason can repaire. 1600 F. Walker Sp. Mandeville 71 a, The sicke Gentleman daily so empaired in health. |
| γ 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxlv. 364 The prince dayly impered of a sicknesse. 1579 Twyne Phisicke agst. Fort. ii. xxviii. 205 a, All thinges impaire, and goe backewarde. 1648 Boyle Seraph. Love (1660) 152 Cœlestial Pleasures..not impairing by being used Long. 1729 Swift Lett. to Pope Wks. 1761 VIII. 93 When years increase, and perhaps your health impairs. 1827 Southey in Life (1850) V. 284 His own health and faculties sensibly impairing day by day. |