pu·is·sance

[pyoo-uh-suhns, pyoo-is-uhns, pwis-uhns]
noun Literary.
power, might, or force.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French, equivalent to puiss(ant) puissant + -ance -ance

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
puissance (ˈpjuːɪsəns, ˈpwiːsɑːns) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a competition in showjumping that tests a horse's ability to jump a limited number of large obstacles
2.  archaic, poetic or power
 
[C15: from Old French; see puissant]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Puissance is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Example sentences
Until their puissance they did prove, their manhood and their might.
It seems that the unadorned lie no longer has its old puissance.
One can imagine what his puissance might be at the present ghostly stage.
Nothing is decided in the four years' contest but the simple matter of military puissance.
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