mächtigen

Mächtigen is a German term that can refer to a verb and, in capitalized form, to a noun phrase describing people in power. As a verb, mächtigen means to empower or authorize someone to act within a defined scope. It denotes the act of conferring power, authority, or formal capacity. In practice, it is most often found in formal, administrative, or legal language. The related verb ermächtigen is more common in everyday usage when describing the act of granting authority.

The noun form related to the same root appears in capitalized form as die Mächtigen and refers to the group of people who hold power, such as political, economic, or institutional leaders. Die Mächtigen is frequently used in journalism, political analysis, and academic writing to denote elites or power holders. The term can carry evaluative or critical connotations, depending on context and tone.

Etymology and related forms: mächtig derives from Macht, meaning power, and the suffixes that form adjectives and verbs in German. The noun Mächtige (singular: der Mächtige) denotes a powerful person, while die Mächtigen marks the plural, i.e., the powerful people. The word family also includes adjectives such as mächtig (powerful) and verbs like mächtigen, ermächtigen, which share the same root.

See also: Macht, Machtverhältnisse, Befugnisse, Ermächtigung, autorisieren.