the men of a district assembled together and forming a group upon whom the sheriff may call for assistance in maintaining law and order
2. law
possibility (esp in the phrase in posse)
3. slang
a Jamaican street gang in the US
4. informal
a group of friends or associates
Word origin
C16: from Medieval Latin (n): power, strength, from Latin (vb): to be able, have power
posse comitatus in American English
(ˈpɑsi ˌkɑmɪˈtɑːtəs, -ˈtei-)
noun
1.
the body of persons that a peace officer of a county is empowered to call upon for assistance in preserving the peace, making arrests, and serving writs
2.
a body of persons so called into service
Word origin
[1620–30; ‹ ML: posse of the county]This word is first recorded in the period 1620–30. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: acid, clinic, grommet, headline, midshipman