Where does “plenipotentiary” come from?
Plenipotentiary comes from Late Latin plenipotens, meaning possessing full power or authority.
plenipotentiary (English): A person invested with full powers, especially as...
Definitions
- A person invested with full powers, especially as...
Ancestry of “plenipotentiary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | plenipotentiarius | having full power |
| 2 | Classical Latin | plēnipotēns | — |
| 3 | Latin | potēns | being able (to), able; potent, mighty, strong, powerful |
| 4 | Latin | posse | present active infinitive of possum "to be able... |
| 5 | Latin | potis | able, capable, possible |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | potis | master, in control of |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pótis | master, ruler; husband |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₃tis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₃- | to drink |