/ ˈpwiːsɒ͂s; NAmE -sɑ͂ːs/ noun
1.
Puissance [ sing. ] a competition in showjumping to test a horse's ability to jump high fences
2.
[ U ] ( literary ) great power or influence
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in sense 2): from Old French , power , from puissant having power, from Latin posse be able. Sense 1 dates from the 1950s.