povi

Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowed from French pouvoir, Italian potere and English power. First attested in 1887.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpovi/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ovi
• Syllabification: po‧vi

Verb

povi (present povas, past povis, future povos, conditional povus, volitive povu)

2. (intransitive) to be able to; can (to have the ability to do something)

   Mi povas piediri. ― I can walk.

   Synonym: kapabli

   • 1910, L. L. Zamenhof, speech at the sixth World Congress of Esperanto in Washington, D.C.:

     Nur tre malmultaj el ni povis veni en vian landon, ĉar ni, esperantistoj, ne estas homoj riĉaj.

     Only very few of us could come to your country, because we, Esperantists, are not rich people.

   • 2012, Plato, translated by Donald Broadribb, La Respubliko (Traduko al Esperanto) [The Republic (Translation into Esperanto)], 2nd corrected edition (paperback), New York: Mondial, →ISBN, page 17:

     "Nu, ĉu vi ne vidas kiom ni estas?" li demandis. "Kiel mi ne povus vidi?"

     "Well, don't you see how many of us there are?" he asked. "How could I not see?"

     (literally, “"Well, do you not see how many we are?" he asked. "How could I not see?"”)

   • 2025 September 29, Jorge Nogueras, “La plej mallonga tago”, in uea.facila‎^[1], archived from the original on 12 December 2025:

     Mikronovelo estas eĉ pli mallonga: ekzemple ĝi povus konsisti el nur 500 vortoj; aŭ 300; aŭ precize 100 vortoj, kiel la ekzemplo sube;

     A micro-novella is even shorter: for example it could consist of only 500 words; or 300; or precisely 100 words, like the example below;

Conjugation

Conjugation of povi

		present		past		future
		singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural
tense		povas		povis		povos
active participle		povanta	povantaj	povinta	povintaj	povonta	povontaj
	acc.	povantan	povantajn	povintan	povintajn	povontan	povontajn
nominal active participle		povanto	povantoj	povinto	povintoj	povonto	povontoj
	acc.	povanton	povantojn	povinton	povintojn	povonton	povontojn
adverbial active participle		povante		povinte		povonte
		infinitive	povi	imperative	povu	conditional	povus

Derived terms

adjectives

• ĉiopova (“almighty, all-powerful”)
• daŭripova (“sustainable”)
• pova (“able”)
• senpova (“powerless”)

nouns

• povo (“ability”)
• povumo (“power”) (physics)

verbs

• povoscii (“to know how”)
• scipovi (“to know how”)

References

Sense 1

• PIV (2020), line 1: “povi”
• RV (1997), line 1: “povi”
• Grosjean (1980), page 378, line 1: “povi”
• Bein (1922), page 126: “povi”
• Benson (1995), page 18: “able” → “be able”, page 94: “can”, page 139: “could”
• Wells (1992), page 165: “able”, page 199: “can”
• Butler (1967), page 327, line 1: “pov-i”
• Millidge (1913), page 331: “pov-i”
• Motteau (1907), page 117: “pov-i”
• Denisowski (2011), “povi”

Further reading

Grammatical texts

• Wennergren (1997), §31.7.1. Povi
• Wennergren (1997), §27.3.1. I-verboj kune kun povi devi kaj voli
• Kalocsay & Waringhien (1985), page 421, para. 4

Monolingual dictionaries

• PIV (2020), “povi”
• RV (1997), “povi”
• Grosjean (1980), page 378: “povi”
• Benson (1932), page 445: “pov-i”

Multilingual dictionaries

• Benson (1995), page 191: “equal” → “be equal to”, page 228-229: “get” → “get to”, page 322: “may”
• Wells (1992), page 169: “afford”
• Butler (1967), page 327: “pov-i”

Finnish

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *pouvi (compare Estonian põu), probably from Proto-Uralic *poŋŋe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoʋi/, [ˈpo̞ʋi]
• Rhymes: -oʋi
• Syllabification^(key): po‧vi
• Hyphenation^(key): po‧vi

Noun

povi

1. bosom, breast

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:tissi

2. (fishing) bosom of a seine

Declension

Inflection of povi (Kotus type 7/ovi, no gradation)
nominative		povi	povet
genitive		poven	povien
partitive		povea	povia
illative		poveen	poviin
		singular	plural
nominative		povi	povet
accusative	nom.	povi	povet
	gen.	poven
genitive		poven	povien
partitive		povea	povia
inessive		povessa	povissa
elative		povesta	povista
illative		poveen	poviin
adessive		povella	povilla
ablative		povelta	povilta
allative		povelle	poville
essive		povena	povina
translative		poveksi	poviksi
abessive		povetta	povitta
instructive		—	povin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of povi (Kotus type 7/ovi, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative poveni poveni accusative nom. poveni poveni gen. poveni genitive poveni povieni partitive poveani poviani inessive povessani povissani elative povestani povistani illative poveeni poviini adessive povellani povillani ablative poveltani poviltani allative povelleni povilleni essive povenani povinani translative povekseni povikseni abessive povettani povittani instructive — — comitative — povineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative povesi povesi accusative nom. povesi povesi gen. povesi genitive povesi poviesi partitive poveasi poviasi inessive povessasi povissasi elative povestasi povistasi illative poveesi poviisi adessive povellasi povillasi ablative poveltasi poviltasi allative povellesi povillesi essive povenasi povinasi translative poveksesi poviksesi abessive povettasi povittasi instructive — — comitative — povinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative povemme povemme accusative nom. povemme povemme gen. povemme genitive povemme poviemme partitive poveamme poviamme inessive povessamme povissamme elative povestamme povistamme illative poveemme poviimme adessive povellamme povillamme ablative poveltamme poviltamme allative povellemme povillemme essive povenamme povinamme translative poveksemme poviksemme abessive povettamme povittamme instructive — — comitative — povinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative povenne povenne accusative nom. povenne povenne gen. povenne genitive povenne povienne partitive poveanne povianne inessive povessanne povissanne elative povestanne povistanne illative poveenne poviinne adessive povellanne povillanne ablative poveltanne poviltanne allative povellenne povillenne essive povenanne povinanne translative poveksenne poviksenne abessive povettanne povittanne instructive — — comitative — povinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative povensa povensa accusative nom. povensa povensa gen. povensa genitive povensa poviensa partitive poveaan poveansa poviaan poviansa inessive povessaan povessansa povissaan povissansa elative povestaan povestansa povistaan povistansa illative poveensa poviinsa adessive povellaan povellansa povillaan povillansa ablative poveltaan poveltansa poviltaan poviltansa allative povelleen povellensa povilleen povillensa essive povenaan povenansa povinaan povinansa translative povekseen poveksensa povikseen poviksensa abessive povettaan povettansa povittaan povittansa instructive — — comitative — povineen povinensa

Derived terms

• povekas
• poveton

compounds

• korkeapovinen
• povikuningatar
• povipommi
• povitasku
• pyöreäpovinen
• uhkeapovinen

Further reading

• “povi”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

Anagrams

• pivo

Ido

Noun

povi

1. plural of povo

Samoan

Etymology

From Latin bovis, genitive singular of bōs.

Noun

povi

1. cattle
2. beef

Descendants

• → Tokelauan: povi

References

• Milner, G.B. (1993), Samoan Dictionary, Auckland: Polynesian Press, →ISBN, page 189

Tokelauan

Nā povi (1.1/1.2).

Etymology

Borrowed from Samoan povi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpo.vi/
• Hyphenation: po‧vi

Noun

povi

1. cattle
2. cow
3. beef

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[3], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 276

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *pouvi.

Noun

povi

1. breast, bosom

Inflection

Inflection of povi (inflection type 3/kivi)
nominative sing.	povi
genitive sing.	poven
partitive sing.	poved
partitive plur.	povid
	singular	plural
nominative	povi	poved
accusative	poven	poved
genitive	poven	poviden
partitive	poved	povid
essive-instructive	poven	povin
translative	poveks	povikš
inessive	poves	poviš
elative	povespäi	povišpäi
illative	povehe	povihe
adessive	povel	povil
ablative	povelpäi	povilpäi
allative	povele	povile
abessive	poveta	povita
comitative	povenke	povidenke
prolative	povedme	povidme
approximative I	povenno	povidenno
approximative II	povennoks	povidennoks
egressive	povennopäi	povidennopäi
terminative I	povehesai	povihesai
terminative II	povelesai	povilesai
terminative III	povessai	—
additive I	povehepäi	povihepäi
additive II	povelepäi	povilepäi

References

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “пазуха”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[4], Petrozavodsk: Periodika