Word of the DayThursday, September 02, 2004
plenipotentiary
\plen-uh-puh-TEN-shee-air-ee; -shuh-ree\ , adjective:1.
Containing or conferring full power; invested with full power; as, "plenipotentiary license; plenipotentiary ministers."
1.
A person invested with full power to transact any business; especially, an ambassador or diplomatic agent with full power to negotiate a treaty or to transact other business.
Quotes:
There were two accounts, one in a news article, the second in the editorial section, telling the minihistory of Pol Pot, sometime plenipotentiary ruler of Cambodia.
-- William F. Buckley Jr., The Redhunter
At that time, Egypt was our protectorate, which meant the High Commissioner was the plenipotentiary of George V and carried independent authority.
-- David Freeman, One of Us
Origin:
Plenipotentiary derives from Latin plenus, "full" + potens, "powerful."
