pouvoir

can, to be able to; may (of a choice); to be possible; may, could be; to have the right (to); to have the power, the authority or the talent (to do something)

“Je peux venir ce soir.” — I can come this evening.

Inherited from Middle French povoir, from Old French povoir, pooir, from earlier Old French poeir, podeir, from Vulgar Latin potēre, regularization of Latin posse. The /-v-/ was eventually added, after the loss of the intervocalic dental, to break hiatus. The archaic 1SG present indicative puis is from a Vulgar Latin *posseō (rather than possō), for which cf. Old Catalan puix. Cognates See also Angevin pouvoér, Aragonese poder, Aromanian pot, puteari, Asturian poder, Bourguignon peuvoi, Catalan

pouvoir is masculine in French.

power; authority; power of attorney

“prendre le pouvoir” — to take power, to seize power

Inherited from Middle French povoir, from Old French povoir, pooir, from earlier Old French poeir, podeir, from Vulgar Latin potēre, regularization of Latin posse. The /-v-/ was eventually added, after the loss of the intervocalic dental, to break hiatus. The archaic 1SG present indicative puis is from a Vulgar Latin *posseō (rather than possō), for which cf. Old Catalan puix. Cognates See also Angevin pouvoér, Aragonese poder, Aromanian pot, puteari, Asturian poder, Bourguignon peuvoi, Catalan