in patriae potestate
- idiom
- /ɪn ˈpætrieɪ pɒtəˈstɛtə/
- Archaic
:
en patria potestad
- In ancient Rome, sons remained in patriae potestate until their father died or released them.
Examples
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The law stated that daughters were in patriae potestate and could not marry without permission.
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Even as adults, some heirs were still considered in patriae potestate under traditional family law.
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He was in patriae potestate.
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She remained in patriae potestate until adulthood.
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In ancient Rome, sons remained in patriae potestate until their father died or released them.
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The law stated that daughters were in patriae potestate and could not marry without permission.
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Even as adults, some heirs were still considered in patriae potestate under traditional family law.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from in + patriae (genitive) + potestate (power), so if a learner knew the lexical meanings and recognized the genitive relation they could infer 'in the father's power'. However, it is a fixed Latin legal formula with case morphology and historical/legal nuance unfamiliar to typical B1 learners, so the meaning is only partly predictable and not fully transparent.
Etymology
In patriae potestate is a Latin phrase from ancient Rome that literally means patriae 'of the father' and potestate 'power'. The image is a father holding control over his household, so the phrase means 'under the father's legal power' today.
