*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Power

From power.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A button of a computer, a video game console, or similar device, that when pressed, causes the device to be either shut down or powered up.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From power.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "power",
      "power#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A button of a computer, a video game console, or similar device, that when pressed, causes the device to be either shut down or powered up."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "efe2e7e7e20739616fe047577d7df38925c143363b5ee9f999bd418cd16216a2",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* Habitational, from Old French Poer, Pohier, Middle English Poer, Pouer, Power, after the Pays de Poix (Picardy). * From Middle English povre (“poor”) as a nickname for a poor man or ironically a miser. Compare Poor.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "Poer,Pohier"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French Poer, Pohier"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "Poer,Pouer,Power"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English Poer, Pouer, Power"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "povre",
        "t": "poor"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English povre (“poor”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Poer",
      "Poer#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "Pohier",
      "Pohier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "Poer",
      "Poer#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Pouer",
      "Pouer#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Power",
      "Power#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "povre",
      "povre#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Poor",
      "Poor#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "a2a9675df26d76f9d74f4bd49c7e86e4465f717b0c254ac315100335a72f65e7",
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Power →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-UG93ZXI