Oxford Latin Dictionary
Glare, Oxford Latin Dictionary, 1410.possum on page 1410
latin
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posse to be able
posse is a Latin Verb that primarily means to be able.
Definitions for posse
Wheelock's Latin
Verb
- 1
to be able, can, could, have power
English derivatives:
posse possible potent potentate potential puissant omnipotent
Oxford Latin Dictionary
Verb
- 1
(w. inf.) To be able (to), be capable (of). (b) non possum non, I cannot help. (C) (impers., w. pass. inf.; inf.l it can happen that, it is possible that. (d) (pres. inf. as sb.) = the ability (to). (e) (pass. wi. pass. inf.).
- 2
(ellipt.) (b) ut, quantum, potero (potui, etc.) and sim., As far as I can (could), to the best of my ability; (also in ellipt. exprs. w. quam, ut, etc., +superl.) (c) non (haud) possum quin (+subj.), I cannot but, I cannot help.
- 3
To be able to bring oneself (to do something cruel, unpleasant, etc.), have the heart or courage (to).
- 4
To be permitted or allowed (by law, custom, usage, etc.), have a right, be legally able. (b) (as part of a polite form of question).
- 5
(expr. a contingency or possibility, esp. in cases where a periphrastic form of the subjunctive or infinitive would otherwise be required): (a) (in the apodosis of conditional cls. or sim.). (b) (without dependent cl.).
Sentences with posse
Latin to English
Cum exposuisset quid peteret, negāvistī tantum auxilium posse offerrī.Compare When he had explained what he was seeking, you (sg.) said that such great aid could not be offered.
Ego dīvitiās sapientiae antepōnō. Nōn enim arbitror hominēs vītam fēlīcem sine cōpiā pecūniae reperīre posse.Compare For my part I place wealth ahead of wisdom. For I do not think that human beings can find a happy life without a great deal of money.
Caesar commemorāvit testibus sē mīlitibus ūtī posse.Compare Caesar reminded (his men) that he could make use of his soldiers as witnesses.
En miser homo! Si dolor summus malum sum, dico aliter non possum.Compare Lo a wretched man! If pain is the greatest evil, he cannot be called otherwise.
Balbus, homo et jus et officium peritus, non possum aliter judico.Compare Balbus, a man most skilled in both law and his duty, cannot decide otherwise.
Defendo urbs possum spes nullus sum.Compare There was no hope that the city could be defended.
An ille vir, ille humanitas praeditus, amicus neglego possum?Compare Would that man, endued with that humanity, have been able to neglect a friend?
Beneficia eo usque laeta sunt, dum videntur exsolvi posse; ubi multum antevener, pro gratia odium redditur.Compare Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are repaid with hatred instead of gratitude.
Conjugation table for posse
Cactus2000
| ACTIVE | |
| Indicative present | Indicative imperfect |
| possum potes potest possumus potestis possunt | poteram poterās poterat poterāmus poterātis poterant |
| Indicative perfect | Indicative pluperfect |
| potuī potuistī potuit potuimus potuistis potuērunt / potuēre | potueram potuerās potuerat potuerāmus potuerātis potuerant |
| Indicative future | Indicative future perfect |
| poterō poteris poterit poterimus poteritis poterunt | potuerō potueris potuerit potuerimus potueritis potuerint |
| Subjunctive present | Subjunctive imperfect |
| possim possīs possit possīmus possītis possint | possem possēs posset possēmus possētis possent |
| Subjunctive perfect | Subjunctive pluperfect |
| potuerim potueris potuerit potuerimus potueritis potuerint | potuissem potuissēs potuisset potuissēmus potuissētis potuissent |
Infinitive present posse Infinitive perfect potuisse Infinitive future - | Imperative present - - Imperative future - - - - |
| PARTICIPLE | ||
| Participle present active | ||
| potēns | potentēs | |
| potēns | potentēs | |
| potēns | potentēs | |
| potēns | potentēs | |
| potēns | potentēs | |
| Participle future active | ||
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| Participle perfect passive | ||
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| Gerundive | ||
| potendus | potendī | |
| potendus | potendī | |
| potendus | potendī | |
| potendus | potendī | |
| potendus | potendī | |
| Gerund | Supine | |
| posse | - | |
| posse | - | |
| posse | ||
| posse | ||
| posse | ||
| PARTICIPLE | ||
| Participle present active | ||
| Nom. | potēns | potentēs |
| Gen. | potentis | potentium |
| Dat. | potentī | potentibus |
| Acc. | potentem | potentēs |
| Abl. | potente | potentibus |
| Participle future active | ||
| Nom. | - | - |
| Gen. | - | - |
| Dat. | - | - |
| Acc. | - | - |
| Abl. | - | - |
| Participle perfect passive | ||
| Nom. | - | - |
| Gen. | - | - |
| Dat. | - | - |
| Acc. | - | - |
| Abl. | - | - |
| Gerundive | ||
| Nom. | potendus | potendī |
| Gen. | potendī | potendōrum |
| Dat. | potendō | potendīs |
| Acc. | potendum | potendōs |
| Abl. | potendō | potendīs |
| Gerund | Supine | |
| Nom. | posse | - |
| Gen. | potendī | - |
| Dat. | potendō | |
| Acc. | potendum | |
| Abl. | potendō | |
Data sources
Notes
- Definitions
- Frederick M. Wheelock, Wheelock's Latin, 6th ed., rev. Richard A. LaFleur (New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005): 39.
- P. G. W. Glare, Oxford Latin Dictionary, Vols. 1-8 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982): 1410.
- Word frequencies
- Christopher Francese, "Latin Core Vocabulary," Dickinson College Commentaries, last modified 2014, http://dcc.dickinson.edu.
- Paul B. Diederich, The Frequency of Latin Words and Their Endings, PhD diss., (Columbia University, 1939).
- Louis Delatte, Suzanne Govaerts, Joseph Denooz, and Etienne Evrard, Dictionnaire fréquentiel et index inverse de la langue latine [Frequency Dictionary and Inverse Index of the Latin Language] (Liège, Belgium: Laboratoire d'analyse statistique des langues anciennes de l'Université de Liège [L.A.S.L.A.], 1981): 119.
Bibliography
Allen, Joseph H. Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges: Founded on Comparative Grammar. Edited by James B. Greenough, George L. Kittredge, Albert A. Howard, and Benjamin L. D'Ooge. Boston, MA: Ginn & Company, 1903.
Crystal, David. A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. 6th ed. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
Delatte, Louis, Suzanne Govaerts, Joseph Denooz, and Etienne Evrard. Dictionnaire fréquentiel et index inverse de la langue latine [Frequency Dictionary and Inverse Index of the Latin Language]. Liège, Belgium: Laboratoire d'analyse statistique des langues anciennes de l'Université de Liège (L.A.S.L.A.), 1981.
Diederich, Paul B. The Frequency of Latin Words and Their Endings. PhD diss., Columbia University, 1939.
Francese, Christopher. "Latin Core Vocabulary." Dickinson College Commentaries. Last modified 2014. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/latin-vocabulary-list.
Gildersleeve, Basil L., and Gonzales Lodge. Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar: Third Edition, Revised, and Enlarged. 3rd ed. London, England: Macmillan and Co., 1903.
Glare, Peter G.W. Oxford Latin Dictionary. Vols. 1-8. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1982.
Krüger, Bernd. "Latin Conjugation Tables." Cactus2000. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://latin.cactus2000.de/index.en.php.
Pierson, Nick. "Sound of Text." Accessed October 26, 2019. https://soundoftext.com.
Wheelock, Frederick M. Wheelock's Latin. 6th ed. Revised by Richard A. LaFleur. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.
Wiktionary Contributors. "Victionarium." Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Updated March 18, 2019. https://la.wiktionary.org/wiki/Victionarium:Pagina_prima.
Citation
Chicago (17th ed.)
Allo Contributors. "possum, posse, potuī (v.) - Latin Word Definition." Allo Latin Dictionary. Last modified . Accessed November 22, 2024. http://ancientlanguages.org/latin/dictionary/possum-posse-potui.
Entry created on . Last updated on .
Wheelock's Latin
Wheelock, Wheelock's Latin, 39.possum, posse, potuī on page 39
