Thursday, March 31, 2011

puissance



puissance [ˈpyuəsəns] n.

1.) Power, strength, force, might; influence.
2.) The persons in whom power is vested.
3.) In show-jumping, a competition testing a horse's ability to jump large obstacles (Oxford English Dictionary 2nd Edition).

Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from poissant, powerful, present participle of pooir, to be able.

"We know no time when we were not as now,
Know none before us, self-begot, self-raised
By our own quick'ning power when fatal course
Had circled his full orb, the birth mature
Of this our native Heav'n, ethereal sons.
Our puissance is our own."
(Paradise Lost, John Milton, 1667)


(The Fall of Lucifer, Edward Burne-Jones, 1894)

5 comments:

Oscar said...

Very misleading word.

Fix PC Games Admin said...

power :)nice find

xoxo-gossip girl said...

French word ;) Following

Triper said...

I like Paradise Lost very much, going now to search for more of this letters! Thank you.

Unknown said...

hahah cant agree more @oscar xD or I might just have a perverted minde

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