Heath's French and English dictionary

by Jean Louis de Lolme

poussin, n.m., chick, young chicken. — qui ne fait que d’éclore; chick just out of its shell.

poussinière, n.f., chick-room, chicken-coop; (pop.) (astron.) Pleiades.

poussoir, n.m., (horl.) pusher; driver (dentistry).

poussolane. V. pouzzolane.

poutre, n.f., beam; girder; mote (in the eye).

poutrelle, n.f., small beam; (carp.) stop-plank.

pouvoir (pouvant, pu), v.n., to be able, can, may, to have power, to be allowed, to be possible. — marcher; to be able to walk. Je ne puis vous répondre; I cannot answer you. N’en — plus; to be worn out, to be completely exhausted, to be tired out, to be done up. N’en — mais, ne — mais d’une chose; (fam.) to have had no share (in), nothing to do (with) anything. Pouvait-il mais de cela? could he possibly help that? Puisse-t-il réussir; may he succeed. Il peut arriver que; it may happen that. Il pourrait survenir une circonstance qui changeât la face des choses; some circumstance might arise which would change the whole face of matters. Je n’y puis rien; I cannot help it. Je puis ne pas le faire; I may not do it. Je ne puis pas le faire; I cannot do it. Il peut se faire or il se peut faire que; it may happen that; it may be possible for me to. Vous avez pu voir; you may have seen. Vous n’avez pas pu voir; you cannot have seen. Vous avez pu ne pas voir; you may not have seen. Il peut, or pourrait, avoir vingt ans; he may, or might, be twenty. Cela se pourrait bien; it might be so; it is not at all unlikely. Cela pourrait bien être; it might be so. Il se pourrait bien que; it might be, it might happen that. Il pourrait se faire que; it is not at all unlikely that. Pouvez-vous bien! how can you! Autant que faire se peut; as far as it is possible, On ne peut plus; exceedingly, extremely, etc.

pouvoir, v.a., can do, to be able to do; to have power. Je ne puis rien à cela; I can do nothing in that business. Vous pouvez tout sur lui; you have great power over him. Je ne crois pas le —; I do not think I can do it.

se pouvoir, v.r.imp., to be possible, may be, can be. Cela se peut; that may be, that is possible. Il se pourrait que; it might happen that. Cela ne se peut pas; that is impossible.

pouvoir, n.m., power; sway, authority, might, force, command, government; executive power. Il est en son — de; he has it in his power to. Avoir une chose en son —; to have a thing in one’s possession. Être fondé de —s; to have a power of attorney. Il a plein — de; he has full powers to. Abuser de son —; to abuse one’s power. Avoir un —; (jur.) to have a power of attorney, a letter of attorney.