plenipotentiary
/plɛn.ɪ.poʊˈtɛn.ʃ(i)əɹ.i/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.63 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person invested with full powers, especially as the diplomatic agent of a sovereign state, (originally) charged with handling a certain matter.
Example Sentences
- "None but the like-minded can come plenipotentiary to our court."
- "1937, P. G. Wodehouse, 'Lord Emsworth and Others', Overlook, Woodstock: 2002, p 232. Meeting him in the street and ignoring the foul bowler hat he wore on his walks abroad, you would have put him down as a Bishop in mufti or, at the least, a plenipotentiary at one of the better courts."
- "Two of them are hanging up there on Golgotha, and that ought to be enough to show the authority of Rome’s ah plenipotentiary."
- "Near-synonyms: omnicompetent; omnipotent, almighty, all-powerful"
- "It was written of Henry George Ward, M.P. for Sheffield from 1837 to 1849, that "he was also much occupied with railway enterprise in the days of early speculation." This suggests a hard-bitten man of commerce, but Ward had served in the Diplomatic Service and he was Minister Plenipotentiary to Mexico before retiring in 1827 at the age of 30."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin plēnipotentiārius (“having full power”), Late Latin plēnipotēns, from plēnus (“full”) + potēns (“mighty, powerful”).
Word Breakdown
- Root: plēnipotentiārius, plēnipotēns
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /plɛn.ɪ.poʊˈtɛn.ʃ(i)əɹ.i/
- British English: /ˌplɛn.ɪ.pəʊˈtɛn.ʃəɹ.i/