Posse Is a Whole Latin Phrase in Four Letters
A posse is a group gathered to help, especially in law enforcement. The word is the surviving fragment of a long legal term.
A posse is a body of people summoned to help, and informally a person's group of friends. It is the ragged end of a much longer legal phrase: *posse comitatus*, the force of the county, meaning the able-bodied men a sheriff could summon to keep the peace. English kept only the first word and turned it into a noun. *Posse* on its own is Latin for *to be able*, so the phrase literally means the power of the county.
- A group summoned to help. *Raised a posse.*
- A group of friends (informal). *Her posse.*
- Posse comitatus — the force of the county. *Posse comitatus.*
- Latin — *posse*, to be able. *The source.*
- Sheriff — who summoned it. *The sheriff.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | posse | A posse. |
| Plural | posses | Posses. |
| Full phrase | posse comitatus | Posse comitatus. |
| Latin | posse | To be able. |
| Related | possible | Possible. |
- The sheriff raised a posse.Law.
- He arrived with his whole posse.Informal.
- Comitatus means of the county.Latin.
The posse family
- Posse — the power or force of a group
- Possible — able to happen
- Potent — powerful, from the same root
- Power — through French, from the same Latin verb
- Puissant — an old literary word for powerful
Short for Latin *posse comitatus*, the force of the county, from *posse*, to be able, and *comitatus*, a county.
What does posse comitatus mean?
The force of the county: the able-bodied residents a sheriff could summon to enforce the law.
Are posse and possible related?
Yes. Both come from Latin posse, to be able.