Look up: potestas

1. potestas
   Latin, meaning: power, ability, authority / opportunity.
   Found on http://archives.nd.edu/ppp.htm
   
   
2. potestas
   The civil (executive) powers of a magistrate, inferior to imperium. The political power of a Roman.
   Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/visitor-contrib
   
   
3. Potestas
   A Latin word which signifies power; authority; domination; empire. It has several meaning. 1. It signifies imperium, or the jurisdiction of magistrates. 2. The power of the father over his children, patriapotestas. 3. The authority of masters over their slaves, which makes it nearly synonymous with dominium.
   Found on http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/p127.htm
   
   
4. Potestas
   `Potestas` is a Latin word meaning power or faculty. It is an important concept in Roman Law. Origin of the concept: The idea of potestas originally referred to the power, through coercion, of a Roman magistrate to promulgate edicts, give action to litigants, etc. This power, in Roman political and ...
   Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potestas