Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “puissant” come from?

puissant (Old French) comes from Old French pooir, from Latin posso, from Finnish possu, from Finnish porsas, from Proto-Finnic porcas, from Romanian porc, from Latin porcus, from Proto-Italic porkos — passed , crossed.

puissant (Old French): powerful; mighty

Definitions

  1. powerful; mighty

Ancestry of “puissant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchpooircan; to be able to; power; ability; capability
2Latinpossoto be able
3Finnishpossupiggy, pig, piglet; a slovenly person; pork
4FinnishporsasA piglet; Pork; A pig in the sense of messy,...
5Proto-Finnicporcaspiglet
6Romanianporcpig , hog, swine; pork
7Latinporcusa piglet, a young pig; a pig, hog; Short for...
8Proto-Italicporkospig
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpórḱospiglet
10Proto-Indo-Europeanperḱ-colored; motley; to open, rip up
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “puissant”

  • puissance
  • impuissance
  • impuissant
  • superpuissance
  • surpuissant
  • pus
  • impuissant
  • peut
  • peut-être
  • puissamment
  • repouvoir
  • pouvoir
  • impuissance
  • puissant
  • hyperpuissance
  • impuissamment
  • put
  • pusse
  • reput
  • puissance
  • puissaunce
  • puissance
  • piêssant
  • puissance
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →