Potential
[puh-ten-shuh l] /pəˈtɛn ʃəl/
adjective
1.
possible, as opposed to actual:
the potential uses of nuclear energy.
2.
capable of being or becoming:
a potential danger to safety.
3.
Grammar. expressing possibility:
the potential subjunctive in Latin; the potential use of can in I can go.
4.
Archaic. 1 .
noun
5.
possibility; potentiality:
an investment that has little growth potential.
6.
a latent excellence or ability that may or may not be developed.
7.
Grammar.
8.
Electricity. (def 1).
9.
Mathematics, Physics. a type of function from which the intensity of a field may be derived, usually by differentiation.
10.
someone or something that is considered a worthwhile possibility:
The list of job applications has been narrowed to half a dozen potentials.
/pəˈtɛnʃəl/
adjective
1.
2.
(grammar) (of a verb or form of a verb) expressing possibility, as English may and might
3.
an archaic word for potent1
noun
4.
latent but unrealized ability or capacity: Jones has great potential as a sales manager
5.
(grammar) a potential verb or verb form
6.
short for electric potential
adj.
late 14c., “possible” (as opposed to actual), from Old French potenciel and directly from Late Latin potentialis “potential,” from Latin potentia “power, might, force;” figuratively “political power, authority, influence,” from potens “powerful” (see potent). The noun, meaning “that which is possible,” is first attested 1817, from the adjective.
potential po·ten·tial (pə-těn’shəl)
adj.
Capable of being but not yet in existence; latent. n.
Read Also:
- Potential cautery
potential cautery n. An agent, such as potassium hydroxide, that causes the formation of an eschar by chemical means. Also called virtual cautery.
- Potential-difference
noun, Electricity. 1. the difference between the potentials of two points in an electric field. noun 1. the difference in electric potential between two points in an electric field; the work that has to be done in transferring unit positive charge from one point to the other, measured in volts U, ΔV, Δφ, pd Compare […]
- Potential-divider
noun, Electricity. 1. . noun, Electricity. 1. a resistor or series of resistors connected to a voltage source and used to provide voltages that are fractions of that of the source. noun 1. another name for a potential divider noun 1. a tapped or variable resistor or a chain of fixed resistors in series, connected […]
- Potential-energy
noun, Physics. 1. the energy of a body or a system with respect to the position of the body or the arrangement of the particles of the system. noun 1. the energy of a body or system as a result of its position in an electric, magnetic, or gravitational field. It is measured in joules […]
- Potential-gradient
noun, Electricity. 1. the rate of change of potential with respect to distance in the direction of greatest change.