Definition of power
Etymology
From Middle English poer, from Old French poer, from Medieval Latin *potere, for Latin posse (“to be able”).
Pronunciation
- (RP) IPA: /paʊə(ɹ)/, SAMPA: /paU@/
- (GenAm) IPA: /paʊɚ/, SAMPA: /paU@`/
- Audio (US) [?]
- Rhymes: -aʊər
- Hyphenation: pow‧er
Noun
power (countable and uncountable; plural powers)
- (countable) capability or influence.
- (uncountable) physical force or strength.
He needed a lot of power to hit the ball out of the stadium.
- control, particularly legal or political (jurisdiction)
2005, Columbia Law Review, April
In the face of expanding federal power, California in particular struggled to maintain control over its Chinese population.
Usage notes
- Adjectives often used with "power": electric, nuclear, solar, optical, mechanical, political, absolute, corporate, institutional, military, economic, solar, magic, magical, huge, physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, sexual, seductive, coercive, erotic, natural, cultural, positive, negative, etc.
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
|
