Empower

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Empower \Em*pow"er\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Empowered}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Empowering}.]
     1. To give authority to; to delegate power to; to commission;
        to authorize (having commonly a legal force); as, the
        Supreme Court is empowered to try and decide cases, civil
        or criminal; the attorney is empowered to sign an


        acquittance, and discharge the debtor.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To give moral or physical power, faculties, or abilities
        to. "These eyes . . . empowered to gaze." --Keble.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. to enable or permit; to give more opportunity for
        independent action.
        [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  empower
       v 1: give or delegate power or authority to; "She authorized her
            assistant to sign the papers" [syn: {authorise}, {authorize}]
       2: give qualities or abilities to [syn: {endow}, {indue}, {gift},
           {invest}, {endue}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  46 Moby Thesaurus words for "empower":
     accredit, arm, assign, authorize, certificate, certify, charge,
     charter, clothe, clothe with power, commission, commit, consign,
     delegate, depute, deputize, detach, detail, devolute, devolve,
     devolve upon, enable, endow, endue, enfranchise, entitle, entrust,
     franchise, give in charge, give official sanction, give power,
     invest, legalize, legitimize, license, mission, patent, post,
     privilege, ratify, sanction, send out, transfer, validate, vest,
     warrant