Impotence or impotency means the physical incapacity to copulate. Impotence usually refers to a person's, typically a man’s, inability to consummate the marriage. Impotence could provide valid grounds for annulment of marriage if such a condition existed at the time of marriage. Under some state laws in the United States, impotency provides a valid basis for divorce. Impotency could be seen as an impediment that may render a marriage voidable.
[Last updated in March of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]