power

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&unr_; 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 ]

☞ 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 ]

☞ 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 ]

☞ 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 ]

☞ 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 coordinates of any point in that expression which being put equal to zero forms the equation of the curve; as, x2 + y2 - 100 is the power of the point x, y, relative to the circle x2 + y2 - 100 = 0. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Capable of being effected or accomplished by the application of power; possible. [ R. ] J. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Capable of exerting power; powerful. Camden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An airplane maneuver in which the pilot deads downward at a steep angle while the engines are operating at or near full power; -- a method to descend rapidly. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. To make a power dive, as of an airplane. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To cause (an airplane) to make a power dive; as, he power-dived his plane to escape the attackers. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. 1. Full of power; capable of producing great effects of any kind; potent; mighty; efficacious; intense; as, a powerful man or beast; a powerful engine; a powerful argument; a powerful light; a powerful vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

The powerful grace that lies
In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mining) Large; capacious; -- said of veins of ore. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Mighty; strong; potent; forcible; efficacious; energetic; intense. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Pow"er*ful*ly, adv. -- Pow"er*ful*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]