Words With Similar Definitions
Latin	1: impotens	2: egeo	3: validus	4: efficax	5: compos
Greek	1: dunamai	2: dunatos	3: eneimi	4: hoios	5: hosos
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possum, potui, posse, v. n. irreg. (old forms, potis sum, for possum, Plaut. Poen. 5.2.26; id. Curc. 5.3.23; so, potis est, id. Ps. 1.1.41: potis sunt, for possunt, id. Poen. 1.2.17: POTISIT, S. C. de Bacchan.: potisset, for posset, and potisse, for posse, Lucil. ap. Non. 484, 32, and 445, 29: potesse, for posse, very freq., Plaut. Aul. 2.4.30; id. Cist. 1.1.32; id. Truc. 1.1.73; id. Ep. 2.2.43; id. Bacch. 3.6.30 al.; Lucr. 1, 665; 2, 225; 1010: possiem, Plaut. Bacch. 4.5.2; id. Stich. 3.2.25: potis sis, id. Poen. 4.2.53: potis siem, id. Merc. 2.2.59: possies, Enn. ap. Gell. 2, 29 fin., or Sat. v. 38 Vahl.; Plaut. As. 4.2.10; id. Aul. 4.10.17; id. Most. 2.2.34; 3.2.147; id. Men. 5.9.45: possiet, id. Cist. 1.3.37; id. Bacch. 3.1.3; id. Most. 1.1.13 al.; cf. Brix ad Plaut. Mil. 884; Fleck. Krit. Misc. p. 45 sq.--In pass.: potestur, Enn. ap. Diom. p. 380 P. (Ann. v. 594 Vahl.): Pac. ap. Non. 508, 29; Quadrig. ap. id. 508, 30; Lucr. 3, 1010: poteratur, Cael. ap. Non. 508, 27: possitur, Lex. Servil. p. 59 Haubold; Scaurus ap. Diom. p. 381 P.: possetur, Quadrig. ap. Non. 508, 18) [potis-sum].

I. In gen., to be able, have power; I (thou, he, etc.) can (syn. queo): quantum valeam, quantumque possim, Cic. Fam. 6, 5, 1: consilio, quantum potero, labore plus paene quam potero exeubabo, id. Phil. 6.7.18: ut, quoad possem et liceret, a senis latere nunquam discederem, id. Lael. 1, 1: timor igitur ab iis aegritudinem potuit repellere, ratio non poterit? id. Tuse. 3, 27, 66.--With sup.: Caesari te commendavi et tradidi, ut gravissime diligentissimeque potui, as earnestly and warmly as I possibly could, Cic. Fam. 7, 17, 2: potest fieri, it may be, is possible: potest fieri, ut fallar, id. ib. 13, 73, 2: non possum quin, I can not but: non possum quin exclamem, ut ait ille in Trinummo (Plaut. Trin. 3.2.79; cf. id. Mil. 2.2.107); Cic. de Or. 2, 10, 39: ut nihil ad te dem litterarum, facere non possum, I cannot help writing to you, id. Att. 8, 14, 1: facere non potui quin tibi sententiam declararem meam, id. Fam. 6, 13, 1; cf.: non possum non: aequitatem tuam non potui non probare, id. ib. 1, 9, 26: non possum te non accusare, id. ib. 5, 14, 2: is non potest eam (mortem) non timere, id. Fin. 3, 8, 29.--Absol.: potest (sc. fieri), it may be, is possible: potest, ut alii ita arbitrentur, Plaut. Ps. 2.2.38: non, non sic futurum est; non potest, Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 73; Plaut. Mil. 3.1.100 Brix; cf. id. Trin. 3.3.3: quae (mala) si potest singula consolando levare, etc., Cic. Fin. 5, 28, 84: nos dignitatem, ut potest, retinebimus, id. Fam. 1, 2, 4.--Quantum or ut potest, as much or as far as possible: ibo atque arcessam medicum, quantum potest, Plaut. Men. 5.2; id. Most. 3.2.71; Ter. Eun. 5, 1, 20: nos in senatu dignitatem nostram, ut potest in tantâ hominum perfidiâ, retinebimus, Cic. Fam. 1, 2, 4.--In urgent questions: possum scire, quo profectus, cujus sis, aut quid veneris? may I know? can I learn? pray, will you tell me? Plaut. Am. 1.1.190: possumne ego hodie ex te exsculpere Verum? Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 44.--

II. In partic.

A. To be able, to have influence or efficacy, to avail.

1. With neutr. acc. used adverbially (class.; cf. polleo): vocat me, quae in me plus potest, Plaut. Truc. 4.2.42: plus potest qui plus valet, id. ib. 4.3.38: qui tum et poterant per vim et scelus plurimum, et quod poterant, id audebant, Cic. Quint. 21.69: quid ergo? hoc pueri possunt, viri non poterunt? id. Tusc. 2, 14, 34: qui apud me et amicitiâ, et beneficiis, et dignitate plurimum possunt, id. Rosc. Am. 1.4: plus aliquanto apud te pecuniae cupiditas, quam judicii metus potuit, id. Verr. 2.3.57.§ 131; id. de Or. 2, 42, 180: quid aristolochia ad morsus serpentum possit, id. Div. 1, 10, 16: quoniam multum potest provisio animi ad minuendum dolorem, id. Tusc. 3, 14, 30: ad beate vivendum satis posse virtutem, id. ib. 5, 5, 12: multum posse ad salutem alterius ... parum potuisse ad exitium, Cic. Opp. ap. Amm. 30, 8, 7.--

2. In gen., and without neutr. acc. (late Lat.): posse litteras ejus ad perniciem, non posse ad salutem, App. Mag. 79, p. 324.--

B. Posse aliquem, to be able to embrace one (poet.), Mart. 3, 32.--

C. Posse as subst. (poet.): posse loqui, the power of speech, Ov. M. 2.483: posse moveri = facultatem se movendi, id. ib. 11.177.--

D. Freq. in elliptical sentences: quod vi non poterant, fraude assequi temptant, Curt. 5, 10, 8: Ismenias, etsi publicis non poterat, privatis tamen viribus adjuvabat, Just. 5, 9, 8: ut auxilium quod misericordiâ non poterat, jure cognationis obtineret, id. 28, 1, 9: ut collegam vi, si aliter non possent, de foro abducerent, Liv. 2.56.--

E. In apodosis of conditional sentences, analogous to the auxiliaries of the Engl. potential mood (v. Roby, § 1520; Zumpt, § 519).

1. Indic.: ille potuit exspectatior venire, qui te nuntiaret mortuom (= si quis nuntiaret, etc.), Plaut. Most. 1.2.12: nec vero ipsam amicitiam tueri possumus, nisi aeque amicos et nosmet ipsos diligamus, Cic. Fin. 1, 20, 67: Pompeius munitiones Caesaris prohibere non poterat, nisi praelio decertare vellet, Caes. B. C. 3, 44: consul esse qui potui, nisi eum vitae cursum tenuissem, Cic. Rep. 1, 6, 10: (res publica) poterat esse perpetua, si patriis viveretur institutis, id. ib. 3, 29, 41: deleri totus exercitus potuit, si fugientis persecuti victores essent, Liv. 32, 12, 6: nisi felicitas in socordiam vertisset exuere jugum potuerunt, Tac. Agr. 31.--

2. Subj.: qui denique ex bestiis fructus, nisi homines adjuvarent, percipi posset, Cic. Off. 2, 4, 14; cf.: ventum quidem erat eo, ut, si hostem similem antiquis Macedonum regibus habuisset consul, magna clades accipi potuerit, Liv. 44, 4, 9.--So when the condition is implied, or is contained in an adverbial clause: quae res egestati et aeri alieno tuo praeter mortem Caesaris subvenire potuisset? Cic. Phil. 2.14.36: quis opifex praeter naturam ... tantam sollertiam persequi potuisset in sensibus? id. N. D. 2, 57, 142; id. Tusc. 4, 19, 44: plurima proferre possemus, sed modus adhibendus est, Nep. Epam. 4, 6: possem hic Ciceronis respondere verbis, sed, etc., Quint. 2, 21, 14.--Hence, potens, entis (gen. plur. potentum, Verg. A. 12.519; Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 114), P. a.

A. In gen., able, mighty, powerful, potent (class.): amplae atque potentes civitates, Cic. Inv. 2, 56, 169: familiae clarae ac potentes, Liv. 23, 4: amici magni et potentes, Suet. Aug. 56: ne quis ex plebe contra potentiorem auxilii egeret, Caes. B. G. 6.10: duo potentissimi reges, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 2.4: potentissimus et clarissimus civis, id. Planc. 21.51.--

(b). With gen.: quanta sit humani ingenii vis, quam potens efficiendi quae velit, Quint. 12, 11, 10.--

(g). With abl.: Roma potens opibus, Ov. F. 4, 255: pecuniâ et orbitate, Tac. H. 1, 73.--

(d). With inf.: compensare potens, Dig. 16, 2, 10.--

B. In partic.

1. Having power over, ruling over, master of a thing; with gen.: dum liber, dum mei potens sum, as long as I am my own master, Liv. 26, 13, 14: sanus mentisque potens, in his right mind, Ov. Tr. 2, 139: potens mei non eram, Curt. 4, 13, 23: potentes rerum suarum atque urbis, having made themselves masters of, Liv. 23, 16, 6; so, facere aliquem potentem alicujus rei, to make one master of any thing, to give one the power over a thing: consilii, id. 8.13.14: imperii, id. 22, 42, 12: diva potens Cypri, that reigns over Cyprus, i.e. Venus, Hor. C. 1.3.1: Naïadum potens (Bacchus), id. ib. 3.25.14: silvarum potens Diana, id. C. S. 1: diva potens uteri, i.e. Lucina, Ov. M. 9.315: rerum omnium potens Juppiter, Tac. H. 4, 84: lyrae Musa potens, that presides over lyric poetry, Hor. C. 1.6.10: irae, master of his anger, Curt. 4, 2, 5: mariti, ruling her husband, Tac. A. 14, 60: animal potens leti, that can kill, deadly, Luc. 6, 485; cf. id. 5, 199 Corte ad loc.--

2. Fit for, capable of any thing; with gen.: potens regni, Liv. 24, 2: hostes neque pugnae, neque fugae satis potentes caeduntur, unable either to fight or flee, id. 8.39.--

3. Partaking of, having attained a thing; with gen. (poet.): pacis potentes, Plaut. Poen. 5.4.9: voti, Ov. M. 8.80: jussi, having fulfilled the command, id. ib. 4.509.--

4. Strong, mighty, powerful, efficacious, potent (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): fortuna in res bellicas potens, Liv. 9.17: herba potens ad opem, Ov. H. 5, 147: verba, id. Am. 3, 11, 31: herba potens adversus ranas, Plin. 25, 10, 81, § 130: passum ex uvis contra haemorrhoida potens, id. 23, 1, 12, § 15.--Comp.: nihil esse potentius auro, Ov. Am. 3, 8, 29: quaedam ad efficiendum potentiora, Quint. 6, 1, 26.--Sup.: potentissimae cantharides, Plin. 29, 4, 30, § 94: argumenta, Quint. 6, 4, 22.--Hence, adv.: potenter, strongly, mightily, powerfully, effectually (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): se ipsam potenter atque efficaciter defendere, Val. Max. 1, 1, 1: dicere, Quint. 12, 10, 72. --Comp.: aurum ... perrumpere amat saxa potentius Ictu fulmineo, Hor. C. 3.16.9; Quint. 6, 4, 18.--

B. According to one's ability or powers (poet.): lecta potenter res, Hor. A. P. 40.