How do you pronounce puissant?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpjuəsənt/.

Where does puissant come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

/ˈpjuəsənt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.81 in modern English

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

adj

Archaic; Literary

"Awake remembrance of these valiant dead, / And with your puissant arm renew their feats."
"For who can yet believe, though after loss, That all these puissant legions, whose exile Hath emptied Heaven, shall fail to re-ascend, Self-raised, and repossess their native seat?"
"I cried in a loud voice, "Long live the most puissant king of Lilliput!""
"How comes all this, if there be not something puissant in whaling?"
"‘O noble breast and all-puissant arms, Am I the cause, I the poor cause that men Reproach you, saying all your force is gone?"
"The "electrics" are at their most puissant where steam locomotives nowadays seem at their weakest, in starting away."

From Middle English puissaunt, from Middle French puissant, poissant, Anglo-Norman puissant, Old French pussant, et al., present participle of pooir (“to be able”), ultimately from Latin posse (“be able”).

more puissant (comparative) most puissant (superlative)

puissantly puissantness

puissance