Impossibility

Impossibility
Impossibility Im*pos`si*bil"i*ty, n.; pl. {Impossibilities}. [L. impossibilitas: cf. F. impossibilit['e].] 1. The quality of being impossible; impracticability. [1913 Webster]

They confound difficulty with impossibility. --South. [1913 Webster]

2. An impossible thing; that which is not possible; that which can not be thought, done, or endured. [1913 Webster]

Impossibilities! O, no, there's none. --Cowley. [1913 Webster]

3. Inability; helplessness. [R.] --Latimer. [1913 Webster]

{Logical impossibility}, a condition or statement involving contradiction or absurdity; as, that a thing can be and not be at the same time. See {Principle of Contradiction}, under {Contradiction}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • impossibility — im·pos·si·bil·i·ty n pl ties 1: the quality or state of being impossible; also: the affirmative defense that something (as performance) is impossible 2: something impossible 3: impossibility of performance in this entry fac·tu·al impossibili …   Law dictionary

  • impossibility — (n.) late 14c., quality of being impossible, from IMPOSSIBLE (Cf. impossible) + ITY (Cf. ity); perhaps from or modeled on Fr. impossibilité. Meaning an impossible thing or occurrence is from c.1500 …   Etymology dictionary

  • impossibility — [im päs΄ə bil′i tē] n. [OFr impossibilite < LL impossibilitas] 1. the fact or quality of being impossible 2. pl. impossibilities something impossible …   English World dictionary

  • Impossibility — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Impossibility >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 impossibility impossibility &c. >Adj. Sgm: N 1 what cannot what cannot what can never be Sgm: N 1 sour grapes sour grapes Sgm: N 1 hopelessness hopelessness &c. 859 P …   English dictionary for students

  • impossibility — That which, in the constitution and course of nature or the law, no person can do or perform. Impossibility is of the following several sorts: An act is physically impossible when it is contrary to the course of nature. Such an impossibility may… …   Black's law dictionary

  • impossibility — That which, in the constitution and course of nature or the law, no person can do or perform. Impossibility is of the following several sorts: An act is physically impossible when it is contrary to the course of nature. Such an impossibility may… …   Black's law dictionary

  • impossibility — UK [ɪmˌpɒsəˈbɪlətɪ] / US [ɪmˌpɑsəˈbɪlətɪ] noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms impossibility : singular impossibility plural impossibilities the fact of being impossible, or something that is impossible to do Working from home would be an… …   English dictionary

  • Impossibility — In contract law, impossibility is an excuse for the nonperformance of duties under a contract, based on a change in circumstances (or the discovery of preexisting circumstances), the nonoccurrence of which was an underlying assumption of the… …   Wikipedia

  • impossibility — im|pos|si|bil|i|ty [ ım,pasə bıləti ] noun count or uncount the fact of being impossible, or something that is impossible to do: Working from home would be an impossibility. the impossibility of finding suitable work …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • impossibility — That which is impossible. See impossibility of performance; impossible; physical impossibility …   Ballentine's law dictionary

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