puissance
Americannoun
noun
-
a competition in showjumping that tests a horse's ability to jump a limited number of large obstacles
-
archaic power
Etymology
Origin of puissance
1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French, equivalent to puiss ( ant ) puissant + -ance -ance
Explanation
Puissance is the power to influence what other people do or believe. A celebrity who is extremely popular with teens has puissance to help end problems like bullying just by talking about it in interviews. Puissance is a French word that describes being powerful. When you have a strong influence over someone, you have puissance. It's an uncommon but poetic way to describe power, especially the power to convince someone to do something, like an older sibling's puissance. Another meaning of puissance is a show jumping horse's ability to jump large hurdles.
Vocabulary lists containing puissance
Henry IV, Part 2
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Stardust
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The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation (Volume 2)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Brandi Carlile, tearing through her song “The Joke” with folk puissance, was the most emotional and the all-around best performer of the night.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 11, 2019
The puissance does not count towards the leading rider award.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2012
Pepsi-Cola embraced the puissance of “Generation Next,” the New York Mets used “Generation K” to play up the prospects of three young pitchers and Parade, the Sunday newspaper magazine, has run articles about “Generation Wired.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2012
Kraut said in an interview she may also enter the 8-year-old Dutch warmblood in the $25,000 puissance competition, which is a high jump class for horses.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 27, 2011
The older term, "puissance d'achat," power in exchange, which John Stuart Mill makes synonymous with value in exchange, is, at bottom, nothing but a vague conception of ophelimity.
From Social Value A Study in Economic Theory Critical and Constructive by Anderson, Benjamin M. (Benjamin McAlester)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
