Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
potential en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /po(ʊ)ˈtɛnʃəl/ (US, rare)
- (US) audio
- /pəˈtɛnʃəl/ (UK, US)
Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *pótis
Proto-Italic *potis
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti
Proto-Italic *-ējō
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁tiinflu.
Proto-Italic *-ēō
Proto-Italic *potēō
Proto-Italic *potēnts
Latin potēns
Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós
Proto-Italic *-ijos
Proto-Italic *-ios
Old Latin -ios
Latin -ius
Latin -ia
Latin potentia
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-
Proto-Indo-European *-is
Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?
Proto-Italic *-ālis
Latin -ālis
Late Latin potentialisder.
English potential
From Late Latin potentialis, from Latin potentia (“power”), from potens (“powerful”). By surface analysis, potent + -ial.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) Existing in possibility, not in actuality.
The heroic man,—and is not every man, God be thanked, a potential hero?—has to do so, in all times and circumstances.
1858, Thomas Carlyle, Chartism, Chapman & Hall, page 229:
-
(archaic, not-comparable) Being potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result
And hath, in his effect, a voice potential
1603, William Shakespeare, Othello:
-
(not-comparable, of a field) irrotational
From Maxwell equations (6.20) it follows that the electric field is potential: E(r) = −gradφ(r).
1997, Physics-Uspekhi, volume 40, numbers 1-6, American Institute of Physics, page 39:
-
(not-comparable, of a flow) irrotational (see potential flow on Wikipedia)
The non-viscous flow of the vacuum should be potential (irrotational).
2009, Grigory E. Volovik, The Universe in a Helium Droplet^(http://books.google.com/books?id=6uj76kFJOHEC&pg=PA60&dq=%22The+non-viscous+flow+of+the+vacuum+should+be+potential+(irrotational)%22&hl=en&ei=mXVBTuWuHIufOuGf9ckJ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1), Oxford University Press, page 60:
-
(not-comparable) Referring to a verbal construction of form stating something is possible or probable.
Antonyms
phenomenal · real · actual
Deriveds
potentially · potentialness · interpotential · potential energy · bipotential · isopotential · nonpotential · potential well · potential temperature · immunopotential · electrochemical potential · potential mood · omnipotential · potentialist · prepotential · oligopotential · potential verb · potentialize · potential difference · equipotential · unipotential · potentialism
Synonyms
spiritual · influential · efficacious · virtual · noumenal
Translations (45)
fa-ira پتانسیل (existing in possibility) · de möglich (existing in possibility) · ga ionchasach (existing in possibility) · de potenziell (existing in possibility) · ko 잠재적 (existing in possibility) · uk можли́вий (existing in possibility) · fr potentiel (existing in possibility) · es posible (existing in possibility) · cmn 潛在 /潜在 (existing in possibility) · cs potenciální (existing in possibility) · it potenziale (existing in possibility) · fi potentiaalinen (existing in possibility) · fi mahdollinen (existing in possibility) · ca potencial (existing in possibility) · ga poitéinsiúil (existing in possibility) · tl binitin (existing in possibility) · ga féideartha (existing in possibility) · uk потенці́йний (existing in possibility) · el ενδεχόμενος (existing in possibility) · is mögulegur (existing in possibility) · he פוטנציאלי (existing in possibility) · ru возмо́жный (existing in possibility) · de potentiell (existing in possibility) · da potentiel (existing in possibility) · pt potencial (existing in possibility) · lv potenciāls (existing in possibility) · bg потенциален (existing in possibility) · tr gizil (existing in possibility) · ka პოტენციალური (existing in possibility) · pl potencjalny (existing in possibility) · lo ບົ່ມຊ້ອນ (existing in possibility) · ast potencial (existing in possibility) · el πιθανός (existing in possibility) · lt galimas (existing in possibility) · bg възможен (existing in possibility) · el δυνητικός (existing in possibility) · nl potentieel (existing in possibility) · hu potenciális (existing in possibility) · ru потенциа́льный (existing in possibility) · tr potansiyel (existing in possibility) · sv potentiell (existing in possibility) · cs potencionální (existing in possibility) · mi torohū (existing in possibility) · es potencial (existing in possibility) · ja 潜在的 (existing in possibility)
potential en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /po(ʊ)ˈtɛnʃəl/ (US, rare)
- (US) audio
- /pəˈtɛnʃəl/ (UK, US)
Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *pótis
Proto-Italic *potis
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti
Proto-Italic *-ējō
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁tiinflu.
Proto-Italic *-ēō
Proto-Italic *potēō
Proto-Italic *potēnts
Latin potēns
Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós
Proto-Italic *-ijos
Proto-Italic *-ios
Old Latin -ios
Latin -ius
Latin -ia
Latin potentia
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-
Proto-Indo-European *-is
Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?
Proto-Italic *-ālis
Latin -ālis
Late Latin potentialisder.
English potential
From Late Latin potentialis, from Latin potentia (“power”), from potens (“powerful”). By surface analysis, potent + -ial.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).
With some technical improvement, I could see how the process of imitating my work would soon become fast and streamlined, and the many dark potentials bubbled to the forefront of my mind.
2022 December 31, Sarah Andersen, “The Alt-Right Manipulated My Comic. Then A.I. Claimed It.”, in The New York Times:Even from a young age it was clear that she had the potential to become a great musician.
Comrades, our own fleet doesn't know our full potential. They will do everything possible to test us, but they will only test their own embarrassment.
1990, The Hunt for Red October, →OCLC:
-
(countable, uncountable) The gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field.
-
(countable, uncountable) The work (energy) required to move a reference particle from a reference location to a specified location in the presence of a force field, for example to bring a unit positive electric charge from an infinite distance to a specified point against an electric field.
-
(countable, uncountable) A verbal construction or form stating something is possible or probable.
Forms
Antonyms
matter · phenomenon
Deriveds
vectorpotential (Compound words) · electric potential (Expressions) · potential barrier (Expressions) · Coulomb potential (Expressions) · injury potential (Expressions) · redox potential (Expressions) · Cornell potential (Expressions) · after-potential (Compound words) · Morse potential (Expressions) · potential theory (Expressions) · multipotential (Compound words) · human potential movement (Expressions) · postpotential (Compound words) · overpotential (Compound words) · MLR potential (Expressions) · electropotential (Compound words) · threshold potential (Expressions) · evoked potential (Expressions) · geopotential (Compound words) · resting potential (Expressions) · subpotential (Compound words) · Yukawa potential (Expressions) · water potential (Expressions) · biopotential (Compound words) · electrode potential (Expressions) · underpotential (Compound words) · myopotential (Compound words) · membrane potential (Expressions) · velocity potential (Expressions) · normal potential (Expressions) · hydropotential (Compound words) · afterpotential (Compound words) · potential vorticity (Expressions) · zetapotential (Compound words) · Lennard-Jones potential (Expressions) · zeta potential (Expressions) · quasipotential (Compound words) · event-related potential (Expressions) · potench (Expressions) · demarcation potential (Expressions) · decomposition potential (Expressions) · eigenpotential (Compound words) · pseudopotential (Compound words) · standard electrode potential (Expressions) · prepotential (Compound words) · superpotential (Compound words) · tripotential (Compound words) · action potential (Expressions)
Relateds
potence · potency · potent · potentate · potentiality
Synonyms
noumenon · spirit
Translations (84)
tr potansiyel (energy of a unit electrical charge) · ru зада́тки (currently unrealized ability) · ja 位置エネルギー (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · tr potansiyel (currently unrealized ability) · uk потенціа́л (currently unrealized ability) · gl potencial (currently unrealized ability) · ro potențial (energy of a unit electrical charge) · pt potencial (energy of a unit electrical charge) · fi potentiaali (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · pt potencial (currently unrealized ability) · uk потенціа́л (energy of a unit electrical charge) · id potensi (currently unrealized ability) · cmn 電勢 /电势 (energy of a unit electrical charge) · fi potentiaali (energy of a unit electrical charge) · ga cumas (currently unrealized ability) · ru потенциа́л (currently unrealized ability) · fi potentiaali (grammar: verbal construction) · sv potential (currently unrealized ability) · ca potencial (currently unrealized ability) · ka პოტენციალი (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · tl kaigtingan (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · tr gizil (currently unrealized ability) · cmn 潛質 /潜质 (currently unrealized ability) · cmn 電位 /电位 (energy of a unit electrical charge) · de Potential (currently unrealized ability) · lo ສັກກະຍະພາບ (currently unrealized ability) · de Potential (energy of a unit electrical charge) · fr potentiel (currently unrealized ability) · tr gizil güç (energy of a unit electrical charge) · cs potenciál (energy of a unit electrical charge) · tr potansiyel (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · ga poitéinseal (energy of a unit electrical charge) · ga acmhainneacht (currently unrealized ability) · th ศักยภาพ (currently unrealized ability) · mi pitomata (currently unrealized ability) · hy ներուժ (currently unrealized ability) · fr possibilités (currently unrealized ability) · fa-ira پتانسیل (currently unrealized ability) · ko 가능성 (currently unrealized ability) · ga cumas (grammar: verbal construction) · cmn 勢能 /势能 (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · bg потенциал (currently unrealized ability) · vi tiềm năng (currently unrealized ability) · pl potencjał (currently unrealized ability) · cmn 潛力 /潜力 (currently unrealized ability) · pt potencial (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · ja 潜在能力 (currently unrealized ability) · ms potensi (currently unrealized ability) · el δυναμικό (currently unrealized ability) · ja ポテンシャル (currently unrealized ability) · pl potencjał (energy of a unit electrical charge) · hy պոտենցիալ (currently unrealized ability) · hi विभव (energy of a unit electrical charge) · bg потенциал (energy of a unit electrical charge) · mi torohū (currently unrealized ability) · ja 可能性 (currently unrealized ability) · hu potenciál (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · tr gizil güç (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · ja ポテンシャル (energy of a unit electrical charge) · lo ທ່າແຮງ (currently unrealized ability) · ru потенциа́л (energy of a unit electrical charge) · ja 潜在力 (currently unrealized ability) · ga poitéinseal (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · ky кудурет (currently unrealized ability) · eo potencialo (currently unrealized ability) · hu potenciál (energy of a unit electrical charge) · es potencial (currently unrealized ability) · cmn 潜质 (currently unrealized ability) · hu potenciál (currently unrealized ability) · grc δυναμικόν (currently unrealized ability) · ca potencial (energy of a unit electrical charge) · ko 잠재력 (currently unrealized ability) · ka პოტენციალი (energy of a unit electrical charge) · ka პოტენციალი (currently unrealized ability) · fi potentiaali (currently unrealized ability) · ca potencial (physics: the radial component of a gravitational field) · sv potential (energy of a unit electrical charge) · ja 電位 (energy of a unit electrical charge) · cmn 潜力 (currently unrealized ability) · ky дарамет (currently unrealized ability) · ky магдыр (currently unrealized ability) · it potenziale (currently unrealized ability) · tr gizli (currently unrealized ability) · ro potențial (currently unrealized ability)