Word of the Day

Thursday July 30, 2009

plenipotentiary [plen-uh-puh-TEN-shee-air-ee; -shuh-ree]

adjective

Containing or conferring full power; invested with full power to act independently; as, "plenipotentiary license; plenipotentiary ministers."

For a start, the plenipotentiary powers of the prime minister quickly turn Number 10 into a court. Both Mrs Thatcher and Mr Blair ran governments with the disproportionate influence of key courtiers attracted by the magnetism of such raw power.

Will Hutton, "Until we change the system, prime ministers will always act like kings", The Observer, Jun 7, 2009
While contemplating affairs of state and inhaling large doses of pollen it suddenly dawned on me that I can solve our state's revenue problems, address the video poker issue and put Humpty Dumpty back together again. It's all perfectly legal; in fact it is based on a court ruling from none other than North Carolina's Judge Plenipotentiary, Howdy Manning.

Tom Campbell, "Bring on video poker", Herald Sun with Chapel Hill Herald, May 4, 2009
Bolivia, Ecuador, and Honduras are now represented by resident envoys of the plenipotentiary grade. All the States of the American system now maintain diplomatic representation at this capital.

Benjamin Harrison (1833 - 1901) The 23rd President of the United States. State of the Union Addresses of Benjamin Harrison (1889)

Origin of the Word

Plenipotentiary, approximately 1645, derives from Medieval Latin plenipotentiarius "having full power," from Latin plenus "full" + potentem "powerful".