Impediment

An impediment is something that hinders, restricts, or obstructs progress, movement, or a process. Impediments can be physical obstacles, procedural delays, social or psychological factors, or legal restrictions. The term originates from Latin impedimentum meaning hindrance or obstacle, and has been used in English since the Middle Ages to describe barriers to action.

In everyday language, impediments describe any factor that slows or prevents completion of a task, movement of people or goods, or the achievement of a goal. In engineering and project management, impediments may refer to blockers that must be removed to advance a workflow; in law or policy, they denote legal or regulatory barriers.

Speech impediment refers to a disorder that affects articulation or fluency of speech, such as a lisp, stutter, or other communication difficulties. It is commonly used in both clinical and informal contexts.

In legal contexts, impediments to marriage are conditions that prevent a marriage from being considered valid. Canon law traditionally recognizes impediments such as existing marriages, close kinship, lack of consent, or other canonical disabilities; civil law jurisdictions similarly recognize obstacles that may require consent, dispensation, or the appointment of authority to proceed.

Other specialized uses include impediments to progress in public policy or commerce, such as regulatory barriers or sanctions. Across contexts, impediment implies a factor that must be overcome or removed for a desired outcome to occur.