Where does “power of attorney” come from?

power of attorney (English) comes from English attorney, from Middle English attourne, from Old French atorné, from Old French atourner — to attorn.

power of attorney (English): The legal authorisation of one person to act as...

Definitions

  1. The legal authorisation of one person to act as...

Ancestry of “power of attorney”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishattorneyA lawyer; one who advises or represents others in...
2Middle Englishattourne—
3Old Frenchatornépast participle of atorner
4Old Frenchatournerto attorn
Every word from Old French atourner →Every word from Old French atorné →Every word from Middle English attourne →