What do you mean by Empowerment ?

I have often heard this high sounding word bandied about like crazy . its a buzz word that's in common parlance with NGO's Women's Activists , The Big Fight etc .
To me I'm now figuring out what can it really mean ---not so much in a semantic sense , but more from a humdrum daily day to day life .
Anyway the Randon House Dictionary states that empower '1 means to give power or authority to 2 to enable or permit '

What does Empowerment entitle?
Can it be transferred? transmitted? When does one really say the person is empowered ?
Have you met anyone who you can point your fingers and say he is an empowered person . Which reminds me-----
Are men empowered ?Do they also require empowerment ?What goes into the process of empoerment ?

Do the adivasis need empowerment? The West?
Don't get me wrong I'm thinking aloud .
For me the bug bear is Who are you or I to give our muddy presciptive thoughts and say with finality yes -'you , you and you need empowering . so come with me and I will show you the way .'
How do you know what my thoughts are? what my needs are ? what my reality is?
why should your size fit me ?
Because you articulate well, package well , people buy you more are you empowered ?
My second zone of discomfort with this theory comes from what if the empoweree( forgive the new coinage ) in actuality ends up switching or exchanging or even giving in , to one form of empowerer to another .
In other words I merely have been empowered from X to another, and that is U .
I like this not .
ok let me toss this question in another way
What does being non-empowered mean ?
To me it means not having the freedom of choice for one, not having the ability to take an informed decision , based on ones own reality . Not having the wherewithal to sustain ecologically , economically , emotionally , and spiritually .

If you agree these are the fundamental criteria for empowerment how many of us and who can pole vault ?