Power of attorney

Power of attorney
Power Pow"er, n. [OE. pouer, poer, OF. poeir, pooir, F. pouvoir, n. & v., fr. LL. potere, for L. posse, potesse, to be able, to have power. See {Possible}, {Potent}, and cf. {Posse comitatus}.] 1. Ability to act, regarded as latent or inherent; the faculty of doing or performing something; capacity for action or performance; capability of producing an effect, whether physical or moral: potency; might; as, a man of great power; the power of capillary attraction; money gives power. ``One next himself in power, and next in crime.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. Ability, regarded as put forth or exerted; strength, force, or energy in action; as, the power of steam in moving an engine; the power of truth, or of argument, in producing conviction; the power of enthusiasm. ``The power of fancy.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. Capacity of undergoing or suffering; fitness to be acted upon; susceptibility; -- called also {passive power}; as, great power of endurance. [1913 Webster]

Power, then, is active and passive; faculty is active power or capacity; capacity is passive power. --Sir W. Hamilton. [1913 Webster]

4. The exercise of a faculty; the employment of strength; the exercise of any kind of control; influence; dominion; sway; command; government. [1913 Webster]

Power is no blessing in itself but when it is employed to protect the innocent. --Swift. [1913 Webster]

5. The agent exercising an ability to act; an individual invested with authority; an institution, or government, which exercises control; as, the great powers of Europe; hence, often, a superhuman agent; a spirit; a divinity. ``The powers of darkness.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. --Matt. xxiv. 29. [1913 Webster]

6. A military or naval force; an army or navy; a great host. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

Never such a power . . . Was levied in the body of a land. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

7. A large quantity; a great number; as, a power o? good things. [Colloq.] --Richardson. [1913 Webster]

8. (Mech.) (a) The rate at which mechanical energy is exerted or mechanical work performed, as by an engine or other machine, or an animal, working continuously; as, an engine of twenty horse power. [1913 Webster]

Note: The English unit of power used most commonly is the horse power. See {Horse power}. [1913 Webster] (b) A mechanical agent; that from which useful mechanical energy is derived; as, water power; steam power; hand power, etc. (c) Applied force; force producing motion or pressure; as, the power applied at one and of a lever to lift a weight at the other end. [1913 Webster]

Note: This use in mechanics, of power as a synonym for force, is improper and is becoming obsolete. [1913 Webster] (d) A machine acted upon by an animal, and serving as a motor to drive other machinery; as, a dog power. [1913 Webster]

Note: Power is used adjectively, denoting, driven, or adapted to be driven, by machinery, and not actuated directly by the hand or foot; as, a power lathe; a power loom; a power press. [1913 Webster]

9. (Math.) The product arising from the multiplication of a number into itself; as, a square is the second power, and a cube is third power, of a number. [1913 Webster]

10. (Metaph.) Mental or moral ability to act; one of the faculties which are possessed by the mind or soul; as, the power of thinking, reasoning, judging, willing, fearing, hoping, etc. --I. Watts. [1913 Webster]

The guiltiness of my mind, the sudden surprise of my powers, drove the grossness . . . into a received belief. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

11. (Optics) The degree to which a lens, mirror, or any optical instrument, magnifies; in the telescope, and usually in the microscope, the number of times it multiplies, or augments, the apparent diameter of an object; sometimes, in microscopes, the number of times it multiplies the apparent surface. [1913 Webster]

12. (Law) An authority enabling a person to dispose of an interest vested either in himself or in another person; ownership by appointment. --Wharton. [1913 Webster]

13. Hence, vested authority to act in a given case; as, the business was referred to a committee with power. [1913 Webster]

Note: Power may be predicated of inanimate agents, like the winds and waves, electricity and magnetism, gravitation, etc., or of animal and intelligent beings; and when predicated of these beings, it may indicate physical, mental, or moral ability or capacity. [1913 Webster]

{Mechanical powers}. See under {Mechanical}.

{Power loom}, or {Power press}. See Def. 8 (d), note.

{Power of attorney}. See under {Attorney}.

{Power of a point} (relative to a given curve) (Geom.), the result of substituting the co["o]rdinates of any point in that expression which being put equal to zero forms the equation of the curve; as, x^{2} + y^{2} - 100 is the power of the point x, y, relative to the circle x^{2} + y^{2} - 100 = 0. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • power of attorney — power of attorney: an instrument containing an authorization for one to act as the agent of the principal that terminates esp. upon revocation by the principal or death of the principal or agent – called also letter of attorney; du·ra·ble power… …   Law dictionary

  • power of attorney — power to act on behalf of another person for specified purposes. Glossary of Business Terms An agreement establishing an agent principal relationship. The power of attorney grants the agent authority to act on the principal s behalf under certain …   Financial and business terms

  • power of attorney — An instrument authorizing another to act as one s agent or attorney. (Dictionary of Canadian Bankruptcy Terms) United Glossary of Bankruptcy Terms 2012 …   Glossary of Bankruptcy

  • power of attorney — n. a written statement legally authorizing a person to act for another …   English World dictionary

  • Power of attorney — For the television program, see Power of Attorney (TV show). A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another s behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter. The person… …   Wikipedia

  • power of attorney — A written instrument, known as a power of attorney, letter of attorney, or warrant of attorney, People v Smith, 112 Mich 192, 70 NW 466, by which one person, as principal, appoints another as his agent and confers upon him the authority to… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • power of attorney — noun a legal instrument authorizing someone to act as the grantor s agent • Topics: ↑law, ↑jurisprudence • Hypernyms: ↑legal document, ↑legal instrument, ↑official document, ↑instrument …   Useful english dictionary

  • Power Of Attorney — A legal document giving one person (called an agent or attorney in fact ) the power to act for another person (the principal). The agent can have broad legal authority or limited authority to make legal decisions about the principal s property… …   Investment dictionary

  • power of attorney — n. a power of attorney to + inf. (we had a power of attorney to conduct her business) * * * a power of attorney to + inf. (we had a power of attorney to conduct her business) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • Power of Attorney — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Die Macht der Gewalt Originaltitel: Power of Attorney Produktionsland: USA Erscheinungsjahr: 1995 Länge: 90 Minuten Originalsprache: Englisch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”