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possum (possiem, possiet, T.), potuī, posse (old potesse), irreg.

potis+sum, to be able, have power, can : quantum valeam, quantumque possim: ut, quoad possem numquam discederem: Caesari te commendavi, ut gravissime potui, as earnestly as I possibly could : potest fieri, ut fallar, it may be : non possum quin exclamem, I cannot but : ut nihil ad te dem litterarum, facere non possum, I cannot help writing to you : aequitatem tuam non potui non probare, I could not avoid approving : non potest, it is impossible , T.: nos dignitatem, ut potest, retinebimus, as far as possible : comprendi iube (eum), quantum potest, T.: posse loqui, the power of speech , O.: posse moveri, O.—Esp., as an auxiliary, represented in English by the potential mood, to have power, be able : plurima proferre possumus, I might adduce many more , N.: munitiones Caesaris prohibere non poterat, nisi, etc., he could not have hindered , Cs.: quamquam et illud dicere poteram, might have said , L.: consul esse qui potui, nisi tenuissem, etc., might have been consul : ut, si hostem habuisset consul, magna clades accipi potuerit, L.To be able, be strong, be powerful, have influence, be efficacious, avail, accomplish : non dubium, quin totius Galliae plurimum Helvetii possent, Cs.: quod poterant, id audebant: apud me plurimum: quoniam multum potest provisio animi ad minuendum dolorem: ad beate vivendum satis posse virtutem: non omnia possumus omnes, V. —Ellipt.: quod vi non poterant, fraude adsequi temptant, Cu.: ut collegam vi, si aliter non possent, de foro abducerent, L.

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