noun

infertility

in-fer-TIL-uh-tee/ˌɪnfɜːrˈtɪləti/

A limited or absent capacity to produce new life.

The clinic offers several treatments for infertility in men and women.

Adult couple consults a compassionate fertility clinician, uncertainty shown without blame or promises.

Etymology

inLatinnot

+fertilLatinfruitful, productive

+ityLatinstate or condition

The pieces name the condition of being “not fruitful.” In the reproductive sense, fruitfulness means producing offspring, making infertility the inability to have children or young.

In context

Penn State PRO Wellness1:15

untreated sti's can add up to serious health problems like infertility the inability to have a baby

Teen Health: Sexual Health

More examples

Some medications cause temporary infertility.
They seek medical advice after years of infertility.
The soil's infertility limits what farmers can grow.

Forms

infertile adjective — Unable to reproduce or support healthy growth.

fertility noun — Capacity to reproduce or support plant growth.

Similar words

sterility: Sterility usually implies a complete inability to produce offspring.
barrenness: Barrenness often describes land that cannot support productive growth.