Translation
almighty, omnipotent
Word origin
An Esperanto build, not a borrowing: ĉio ('everything') plus the root of povi ('to be able') plus the adjective ending. English almighty is the same idea assembled the same way, from all and mighty, which is why the word feels familiar the moment you decode it.
- Origin
- Esperanto compound
- Root
- ĉio + pov- + -a
Examples
.
They believe in an almighty God.
.
No human being is all-powerful.
, .
The people thought the king was almost omnipotent.
Decode it and the theology falls out. Ĉio is
everything, pov- is the root of povi, to be able, and
-a makes an adjective. : able to do everything. English does the
same trick with almighty, which is all plus mighty and nothing more, and
Latin does it with omnipotens. Three languages, one compound, and only the
Esperanto one is transparent to somebody who has been learning for a fortnight.
The - prefix is productive, so mind the family. is
all-powerful, ĉioscia is all-knowing (omniscient), ĉiovidanta is
all-seeing. Do not confuse the first element with , which is every one
of a countable set: ĉiupova is not the word, because the claim is not about
each thing separately but about everything at once. o is the noun,
omnipotence.
Register. This is a word of religion and of rhetoric. It belongs in prayer,
in scripture, in political sarcasm about a , and almost
nowhere else. In the ordinary sense of very strong, reach for
forta or potenca. The wider vocabulary of belief in
Esperanto, and the movement's own complicated relationship with it, is in
Esperanto and religion.
Where this fits
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ĉiopova: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "ĉiopova" (almighty, omnipotent): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 55.