Expert: Maria - 2/5/2008

Question
What is the Latin word for 'power'? As in, "I have the power to defeat you" type of way. Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hello,

actually the question is not so quick as in Latin we have different translations of the English word “power”, according to the context, i.e. according to the nuances in meaning.

Therefore “power” translates as follows:

-AUCTORITAS (nominative case, 3rd.declension) as “power of decision “,”might”, “authority”, in short as “The power to enforce laws, exact obedience, command, determine, or judge”.

-POTESTAS (nominative case, 3rd.declension) as “power of doing anything” or “ political power” , i.e. “the power, through coercion, of a Roman magistrate to promulgate edicts, give action to litigants, etc.”.

-IMPERIUM  (nominative case, 2nd.declension) as ‘supreme power’, ‘rule’, ‘military command’.

-POTENTIA (nominative case, 1st.declension) as “power”,  “might”, “force”,” ability”, “faculty”, “ capacity” as well as “political power”, “authority”.

-VIS (nominative case, 3rd.declension) as “physical power / strength”,  “force”, “violence”.

-FACULTAS (nominative case, 3rd.declension)as “ability”, “capability”, “possibility”, “means”, “opportunity”.

-DOMINATIO (nominative case, 3rd.declension) or DOMINATUS (nominative case, 4th.declension) as ‘absolute rule’, ‘dominion’

To conclude, it is the context that determines the use of ‘ auctoritas’, ‘potestas’, ‘imperium’, ‘potentia’, ‘vis’, “facultas” , “domination / dominatus”   for “power”.

As for the phrase you mention  (I have the power to defeat you), Latin prefers to use the verb POSSUM (I can)  instead of the noun ‘power” and then say “Te profligare/vincere/superare possum” (I can defeat you).Note that 'to defeat' has three translations at least, i.e. 'profligare'/'vincere'/'superare', according to the context, of course.

Best regards,
Maria