incontinent

"Incontinent" does not always mean only a medical problem. Today, it most often means being unable to control urination or bowel movements, something that can happen because of age, illness, or injury. But the word also has an older meaning connected to self-control.

In older writing, it described a person who could not control desires, feelings, or behavior. A writer might describe a ruler as "incontinent of wrath" if he became angry very easily. This older use is much less common now, but it still helps explain the full meaning of the word.

The word "incontinent" has two primary meanings: one physical and one relating to self-control. The most commonly understood definition today refers to the inability to control bodily functions, specifically urination or defecation. This can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, age-related changes, or injuries. For example: "After the surgery, she was temporarily incontinent."

However, "incontinent" originally meant lacking self-control—unrestrained in behavior, emotion, or appetite. It comes from the Latin in- (not) and continere (to hold back). This older usage is less common now but still appears in literature and formal writing.

Think of it this way: someone who is continent (the opposite) holds things within—their emotions, impulses, and bodily functions. Someone incontinent cannot. Shakespeare frequently used the word to describe characters driven by passion or lacking moderation. He might write about a king "incontinent of desire," meaning someone consumed by lust.

Today, the medical meaning is by far the most common. The older figurative sense is still useful when reading literature or formal writing, where it can describe someone who cannot control anger, desire, or emotion. Understanding both meanings gives a fuller picture of the word: it is always about a failure to hold something back, whether that is the body or the self.