pooir

Old French

Alternative forms

Pronunciation
  • (archaic) IPA(key): /puˈðei̯ɾ/
  • (classical) IPA(key): /puˈoi̯ɾ/, (northern) /puˈei̯ɾ/
  • (late) IPA(key): /puˈ(v)o̯ɛɾ/, (northern) /puˈ(v)ei̯ɾ/

Verb

pooir

  1. can; to be able to
    • c. 1155, Wace, Le Roman de Brut:
      Desfendés vous, si vous poés.
      Defend yourselves, if you can.
    • 1260–1267, Brunetto Latini, “Cist premiers livres parole de la naissance de toutes choses [This first book talks about the birth of all things]” (chapter 1), Livre I - Premiere partie, in Livres dou Tresor [Book of Treasures]; republished as Polycarpe Chabaille, compiler, Li livres dou tresor par Brunetto Latini‎, Paris: Imprimerie impériale, 1863, page 1:
      si come li sires qui vuet en petit leu amasser choses de grandisme vaillance […] por acroistre son pooir […] i met il les plus chieres choses et les plus precieux joiaus que il puet, selonc sa bone entencion, tout autressi est li cors de cest livre compilez de sapience
      Just like the lord, who wishes to accumulate very valuable things in a tiny place […] in order to increase his power, […] puts there—according to his good intention—the dearest things and the most precious jewels he can, so the body of this book is filled with knowledge

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has a stressed present stem pue distinct from the unstressed stem po, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of pooir (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
simple compound
infinitive pooir avoir peü
gerund en poänt, puissant gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle poänt, puissant
past participle peü
person singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative jo tu il nos vos il
simple
tenses		 present puis puez puet poons poez pueent
imperfect pooie, poeie pooies, poeies pooit, poeit poïiens, poïens poïiez, poïez pooient, poeient
preterite poi peüs pot peümes peüstes porent
future porrai porras porra porrons porroiz, porreiz, porrez porront
conditional porroie, porreie porroies, porreies porroit, porreit porriiens, porriens porriiez, porriez porroient, porreient
compound
tenses		 present perfect present tense of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
past anterior preterite tense of avoir + past participle
future perfect future tense of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que jo que tu qu’il que nos que vos qu’il
simple
tenses		 present puisse puisses puisse, puist puissons puissez puissent
imperfect peüsse peüsses peüst peüssons, peüssiens peüssoiz, peüssez, peüssiez peüssent
compound
tenses		 past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nos vos –
— — — — — —

Noun

pooir oblique singular, m (oblique plural pooirs, nominative singular pooirs, nominative plural pooir)

  1. power; ability; capability
    • 1260–1267, Brunetto Latini, “Cist premiers livres parole de la naissance de toutes choses [This first book talks about the birth of all things]” (chapter 1), Livre I - Premiere partie, in Livres dou Tresor [Book of Treasures]; republished as Polycarpe Chabaille, compiler, Li livres dou tresor par Brunetto Latini‎, Paris: Imprimerie impériale, 1863, page 1:
      si come li sires qui vuet en petit leu amasser choses de grandisme vaillance […] por acroistre son pooir […] i met il les plus chieres choses et les plus precieux joiaus que il puet, selonc sa bone entencion, tout autressi est li cors de cest livre compilez de sapience
      Just like the lord, who wishes to accumulate very valuable things in a tiny place […] in order to increase his power, […] puts there—according to his good intention—the dearest things and the most precious jewels he can, so the body of this book is filled with knowledge

Descendants
  • Bourguignon: peuvoi
  • Champenois: pouâr
  • Franc-Comtois: povoi
  • Gallo: pouair
  • Lorrain: pouhoir
  • Middle French: povoir
  • Norman: pouveî
  • Picard: puvoér
  • Poitevin-Saintongeais: pevoer
  • Walloon: poleur
  • → Middle English: poer, power
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