English → Latin
“incompetent” in Latin
aliēnusOf that which belongs to another person, place, or object—of another, alien, foreign; unfriendly, inimical, hostile, susinvalidusinfirm, impotent, weak, feebleīnfirmusweak, feeble; unhealthy, infirm, indisposed, sick; inconclusive
The English word incompetent itself goes back to Latin petō, through incompetentem.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
incompetent
non satis idoneus (of witnesses, testimony, etc.): non potens alicujus rei faciendae, or ad aliquid faciendum (e.g., non potens ad legionem continendam, unable to maintain discipline in the legion): inutilis ad aliquid (not fit to serve that purpose): non justus: alienus (with reference to permission, legal power, etc.): non sufficiens (insufficient): invalidus: infirmus (not strong enough; e.g., ad resistendum). To be incompetent to do anything, aliquid facere non posse (not to be able to do it); faciendi jus or potestatem non habere; jure aliquid facere non posse.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for incompetent?
- The usual Latin words for “incompetent” are aliēnus, invalidus, īnfirmus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.