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plenipotentiary

adjective plen·i·po·ten·tia·ry \ ˌple-nə-pə-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)rē , -shē-ˌer-ē \

Definition of plenipotentiary

1 : invested with full power

2 : of or relating to a plenipotentiary

plenipotentiary was our Word of the Day on 11/06/2013. Hear the podcast!

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Recent Examples of plenipotentiary from the Web

After nearly a decade as Russia's ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, arguably his country's most critical foreign emissary, the sixty-six-year-old is now a pariah in Washington.

— garrett m. graff, Esquire, "The Inconvenient Comrade," 11 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plenipotentiary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of plenipotentiary

Medieval Latin plenipotentiarius, adjective & noun, from Late Latin plenipotent-, plenipotens

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1646

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

2

plenipotentiary

noun

Definition of plenipotentiary

plural plenipotentiaries

: a person and especially a diplomatic agent invested with full power to transact business

See plenipotentiary defined for English-language learners

See plenipotentiary defined for kids

First Known Use of plenipotentiary

1648

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, popular sovereignty, socialism

PLENIPOTENTIARY Defined for English Language Learners

plenipotentiary

noun

Definition of plenipotentiary for English Language Learners

: a person (such as a diplomat) who has complete power to do business for a government

Learn More about plenipotentiary

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plenipotentiary

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BROWSE DICTIONARY

plenipotent

plenipotential

plenipotentiary

plenish

plenist

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