A physical or mental defect at the level of a body system or organ. The official WHO definition is: any loss or abnormality of psychologic, physiologic, or anatomic structure or function.
- mental i. a disorder characterized by the display of an intellectual defect, as manifested by diminished cognitive, interpersonal, social, and vocational effectiveness and quantitatively evaluated by psychological examination and assessment.
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im·pair·ment (im-pārґmənt) any abnormality of, partial or complete loss of, or loss of the function of, a body part, organ, or system; this may be due directly or secondarily to pathology or injury and may be either temporary or permanent. Examples include muscle weakness, incontinence, pain, and loss of joint motion. See also disability and handicap.Medical dictionary. 2011.