plenipotentiary
Sign in to saveA plenipotentiary (from the Latin plenus "full" and potens "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can also refer to any person who has full powers. As an adjective, it describes something which confers full powers, such as an edict or an assignment.
~12 min read
Encyclopedic overview
12 sectionsContents
- Diplomats
- Administration
- Colonial era
- Pre-World War II Europe
- Nazi Germany
- In Africa
- Since 1945
- South Africa
- Russia
- See also
- References
- External links
A plenipotentiary (from the Latin plenus "full" and potens "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can also refer to any person who has full powers. As an adjective, it describes something which confers full powers, such as an edict or an assignment.
==Diplomats== Before the era of rapid international transport or essentially instantaneous communication (such as telegraphy in the mid-19th century and then radio), diplomatic mission chiefs were granted full (plenipotentiary) powers to represent their government in negotiations with their host nation. Conventionally, any representations made or agreements reached with a plenipotentiary would be recognized and complied with by their government.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “plenipotentiary” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.