Learn Greek › B1 › εξουσία
εξουσία
authority /ek.suˈsi.a/
nounB1#1003 most common
Also: power, jurisdiction
Example sentences
Ο πρόεδρος έχει εξουσία.
The president has authority.
Η αστυνομία έχει την εξουσία να σε συλλάβει.
The police have the authority to arrest you.
Ο πατέρας μου πιστεύει ότι η εξουσία διαφθείρει τους ανθρώπους.
My father believes that power corrupts people.
Οι τρεις εξουσίες του κράτους είναι η νομοθετική, η εκτελεστική και η δικαστική.
The three branches of state power are the legislative, executive, and judicial.
Η κατάχρηση εξουσίας από δημόσιους λειτουργούς τιμωρείται αυστηρά από τον νόμο.
Abuse of authority by public officials is punished severely by law.
Η συγκέντρωση της εξουσίας σε λίγα χέρια υπονομεύει τα θεμέλια κάθε δημοκρατικού πολιτεύματος.
The concentration of power in a few hands undermines the foundations of any democratic system.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | η εξουσία | οι εξουσίες |
| Genitive | της εξουσίας | των εξουσιών |
| Accusative | την εξουσία | τις εξουσίες |
| Vocative | εξουσία | εξουσίες |
Word family
εξουσιάζωto rule over, to dominate
εξουσιοδοτώto authorize
εξουσιοδότησηauthorization
εξουσιαστικόςdomineering, authoritarian
Etymology
Εξουσία comes from the ancient Greek verb ἔξεστι, meaning "it is permitted" or "it is possible." That verb itself is built from ἐκ ("out of, from") and the verb εἰμί ("to be"). The noun form follows the same pattern as οὐσία ("essence") and παρουσία ("presence"), both built on the feminine participle of "to be." So εξουσία originally meant something close to "what one is permitted to do," and it settled into the sense of authority or power to act.
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