pooir

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Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin potēre, from Latin posse.

Pronunciation

  • (archaic) IPA(key): /puˈðei̯ɾ/
  • (classical) IPA(key): /puˈoi̯ɾ/, (northern) /puˈei̯ɾ/
  • (late) IPA(key): /puˈ(v)o̯ɛɾ/, (northern) /puˈ(v)ei̯ɾ/

Verb

pooir

  1. can; to be able to
    • c. 1155, Wace, Le Roman de Brut:
      Desfendés vous, si vous poés.
      Defend yourselves, if you can.
    • 1260–1267, Brunetto Latini, “Cist premiers livres parole de la naissance de toutes choses [This first book talks about the birth of all things]” (chapter 1), Livre I - Premiere partie, in Livres dou Tresor [Book of Treasures]; republished as Polycarpe Chabaille, compiler, Li livres dou tresor par Brunetto Latini, Paris: Imprimerie impériale, 1863, page 1:
      si come li sires qui vuet en petit leu amasser choses de grandisme vaillance [] por acroistre son pooir [] i met il les plus chieres choses et les plus precieux joiaus que il puet, selonc sa bone entencion, tout autressi est li cors de cest livre compilez de sapience
      Just like the lord, who wishes to accumulate very valuable things in a tiny place in order to increase his power, puts there—according to his good intention—the dearest things and the most precious jewels he can, so the body of this book is filled with knowledge

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has a stressed present stem pue distinct from the unstressed stem po, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

Noun

pooir oblique singularm (oblique plural pooirs, nominative singular pooirs, nominative plural pooir)

  1. power; ability; capability
    • 1260–1267, Brunetto Latini, “Cist premiers livres parole de la naissance de toutes choses [This first book talks about the birth of all things]” (chapter 1), Livre I - Premiere partie, in Livres dou Tresor [Book of Treasures]; republished as Polycarpe Chabaille, compiler, Li livres dou tresor par Brunetto Latini, Paris: Imprimerie impériale, 1863, page 1:
      si come li sires qui vuet en petit leu amasser choses de grandisme vaillance [] por acroistre son pooir [] i met il les plus chieres choses et les plus precieux joiaus que il puet, selonc sa bone entencion, tout autressi est li cors de cest livre compilez de sapience
      Just like the lord, who wishes to accumulate very valuable things in a tiny place in order to increase his power, puts there—according to his good intention—the dearest things and the most precious jewels he can, so the body of this book is filled with knowledge

Descendants