Where does “power” come from?
Power derives from Middle English poer, from Old French pooir and poeir, ultimately from Latin potens meaning "able" and potis meaning "powerful," traced to Proto-Indo-European pótis.
power (English): Ability to do or undergo something; Ability to...
Definitions
- Ability to do or undergo something; Ability to...
Ancestry of “power”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | poer | — |
| 2 | Old French | pooir | can; to be able to; power; ability; capability |
| 3 | Latin | posso | to be able |
| 4 | Finnish | possu | piggy, pig, piglet; a slovenly person; pork |
| 5 | Finnish | porsas | A piglet; Pork; A pig in the sense of messy,... |
| 6 | Proto-Finnic | porcas | piglet |
| 7 | Romanian | porc | pig (mammal of genus Sus), hog, swine |
| 8 | Latin | porcus | a piglet, a young pig; a pig, hog; Short for... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | porkos | pig |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pórḱos | piglet |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | perḱ- | colored; motley; to open, rip up |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |