incontinent

English

Etymology

From Middle English incontinent, from Old French incontinent, from Latin incontinens, from in + continens.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪŋˈkɒntɪnənt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

incontinent (comparative more incontinent, superlative most incontinent)

1. (often followed by of) Unable to contain or retain.
2. Plagued by incontinence; unable to retain natural discharges or evacuations, most commonly of urine or feces.
   • 2016, Thoughty2, Is This the Most Stupid Animal in the World?‎^[1], via YouTube:

     About 90% of all koalas have chlamydia... which makes them incontinent, so they spend all day pissing themselves.

   • 2018 [1993], Gail Kern Paster, The Body Embarrassed‎^[2], Cornell University, page 92:

     The male body, opened and bleeding, can assume the shameful attributes of the incontinent female body as both cause of and justification for its evident vulnerability and defeat.

3. Lacking moral or sexual restraint, moderation or self-control, especially of sexual desire.

   Synonyms: wanton, lewd

4. Unrestrained or unceasing.

   an incontinent river of pure water

   • 1569, Richard Grafton, “The Seuenth Age, and Seuenth Part of this Chronicle”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande […], volume I, London: […] Henry Denham, […], for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 75:

     [Jesus] was borne in Bethlem a City of Juda: where incontinent by the glorification of the Angels, the agnition of the Shepeherds, the veneration of the wiſe men, the prophecy of holy Simeon, and the admiration of the Doctours, he was had in honour.

5. (colloquial) Immediate; without delay.

Antonyms

• continent
• restrained

Derived terms

• doubly incontinent
• incontinent ordinance

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ten- (1 c, 62 e)

Translations

unable to contain or retain

• Bulgarian: незадържащ (nezadǎržašt)
• French: incontinent (fr)
• Icelandic: óhófsamur; taumlaus m or f, taumlaust n
• Italian: incontinente (it)
• Occitan: incontinent (oc)

lacking the ability to restrain natural discharges

• Bulgarian: незадържащ (nezadǎržašt)
• Czech: inkontinentní
• Finnish: pidätyskyvytön
• French: incontinent (fr)
• Irish: neamhchoinneálach
• Occitan: incontinent (oc)
• Russian: несдержанный (ru) (nesderžannyj)

lacking moral or sexual restraint

• Bulgarian: безнравствен (bg) (beznravstven), разпуснат (bg) (razpusnat)
• Finnish: estoton (fi), pidäkkeetön
• French: incontinent (fr)
• Icelandic: óskírlífur m, óskrírlíf n, óskírlíft n
• Occitan: incontinent (oc)
• Russian: распутный (ru) (rasputnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: mì-gheanmnaidh

unrestrained and unceasing

• Bulgarian: невъздържан (bg) (nevǎzdǎržan)
• Finnish: pidättelemätön
• Russian: невоздержанный (ru) (nevozderžannyj)

Adverb

incontinent (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Immediately, forthwith.
   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     He says he will return incontinent:

Noun

incontinent (plural incontinents)

1. (obsolete) One who is unchaste.
   • 1598, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     O, old Incontinent, dost not thou shame

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French incontinent, from New Latin incontinens. Equivalent to in- +‎ continent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪŋ.kɔn.tiˈnɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧con‧ti‧nent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Adjective

incontinent (not comparable)

1. incontinent (unable to restrain natural discharges)

   Antonym: continent

Declension

Declension of incontinent
uninflected	incontinent
inflected	incontinente
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		incontinent
indefinite	m./f. sing.	incontinente
	n. sing.	incontinent
	plural	incontinente
definite		incontinente
partitive		incontinents

Related terms

• incontinentie

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.kɔ̃.ti.nɑ̃/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle French incontinent, borrowed from Latin incontinentem, from in + continens.

Adjective

incontinent (feminine incontinente, masculine plural incontinents, feminine plural incontinentes)

1. (medicine) incontinent, suffering from incontinence, enuretic

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin in continenti.

Adverb

incontinent

1. (now literary) forthwith, at once

Further reading

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

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin incontinens, incontinentem, from in + continens.

Adjective

incontinent m (feminine singular incontinente, masculine plural incontinens, feminine plural incontinentes)

1. incontinent (lacking restraint)

Adverb

incontinent

1. immediately; straight away; right away

Antonyms

• continent

Descendants

• French: incontinent

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French incontinent.

Adjective

incontinent m or n (feminine singular incontinentă, masculine plural incontinenți, feminine and neuter plural incontinente)

1. incontinent

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	incontinent		incontinentă		incontinenți	incontinente
	definite	incontinentul		incontinenta		incontinenții	incontinentele
genitive- dative	indefinite	incontinent		incontinente		incontinenți	incontinente
	definite	incontinentului		incontinentei		incontinenților	incontinentelor