Impotence - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition impotence

Definition :

Impotence, physical inability of a man or woman to perform the act of sexual intercourse. A marriage is void if, at the time of the celebration, either of the parties to it is incurably impotent, and may be declared void by a decree in a suit of nullity of marriage. See NULLITY OF MARRIAGE. As to 'Oath of Calumny' (q.v.) in Scottish actions of divorce and nullity, see (English) Court of Session Act, 1830 (11 Geo. 4 & 1 Will. 4, c. 69), s. 36.

Impotence means a man's inability to achieve an erection and therefore to have sexual intercourse. Because an impotent husband cannot consummate a marriage, impotence has often been cited as a ground for annulment, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn., p. 760