<
Phrase the powers that be is from Rom. xiii:1. As a statement wishing good luck, more power to (someone) is recorded from 1842. A power play in ice hockey so called by 1940. Power failure is from 1911; power steering from 1921.
“to supply with power,” 1898, from power (n.). Earlier it meant “make powerful” (1530s). Related: Powered; powering.
n.
- The capacity to perform or act effectively.
- Strength or force that is exerted or that is capable of being exerted.
- The amount of work done per unit time.
- A measure of the magnification of an optical instrument, such as a microscope or telescope.
- The source of energy used to operate a machine or other system.
- The rate at which work is done, or energy expended, per unit time. Power is usually measured in watts (especially for electrical power) or horsepower (especially for mechanical power). For a path conducting electrical current, such as a component in an electric circuit, P = VI, where P is the power dissipated along the path, V is the voltage across the path, and I is the current through the path. Compare energy work.
- Mathematics The number of times a number or expression is multiplied by itself, as shown by an exponent. Thus ten to the sixth power, or 106, equals one million.
- A number that represents the magnification of an optical instrument, such as a microscope or telescope. A 500-power microscope can magnify an image to 500 times its original size.
In physics, the amount of energy put out or produced in a given amount of time. Power is often measured in watts or kilowatts.
In mathematics, a power is a number multiplied by itself the number of times signified by an exponent placed to the right and above it. Thus, 32, which means 3 × 3, is a power — the second power of three, or three squared, or nine. The expression 106, or ten to the sixth power, means 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10, or one million.
In addition to the idioms beginning with power
- power behind the throne
- powers that be, the
also see:
- corridors of power
- more power to someone
- staying power