Scientia potentia est Scientia potentia est The phrase "scientia potentia est"" (or "scientia est potentia" or also "scientia potestas est")" is a Latin aphorism meaning "knowledge is power". It is commonly attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, although there is no known occurrence of this precise phrase in Bacon's English or Latin writings. However, the expression ""ipsa scientia potestas est"" ('knowledge itself is power') occurs in Bacon's "Meditationes Sacrae" (1597). The exact phrase ""scientia potentia est"" was written for the first time in the 1668 version of the work "Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes, who was secretary to Bacon as a young man. The related
Latin influence in English Old English scribes and christened to become the word "bless". Similarly "fullwiht" (literally, "full-being") and the verb "fullian" came to mean "baptism" and "to baptize" respectively, but probably originally referred to some kind of rite of passage. Whenever a suitable Old English substitute could not be found, a Latin word could be chosen instead, and many Latin words entered the Old English lexicon in this way. Such words include: "biscop" "bishop" from Latin "episcopus", Old English "teped" "carpet" from Latin "tapetum", and Old English "sigel" "brooch" from Latin "sigillum". Other words came in, even though an adequate Old English term