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Potential
//po(ʊ)ˈtɛnʃəl// adj, noun
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Existing in possibility, not in actuality. not-comparable
"The heroic man,—and is not every man, God be thanked, a potential hero?—has to do so, in all times and circumstances."
- 2 Being potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result archaic, not-comparable
"And hath, in his effect, a voice potential"
- 3 irrotational not-comparable
"From Maxwell equations (6.20) it follows that the electric field is potential: E(r) = −gradφ(r)."
- 4 irrotational (see potential flow on Wikipedia) not-comparable
"The non-viscous flow of the vacuum should be potential (irrotational)."
- 5 Referring to a verbal construction of form stating something is possible or probable. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 existing in possibility wordnet
- 2 expected to become or be; in prospect wordnet
Noun
- 1 A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to). countable, uncountable
"Even from a young age it was clear that she had the potential to become a great musician."
- 2 the difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts wordnet
- 3 The gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field. countable, uncountable
- 4 the inherent capacity for coming into being wordnet
- 5 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
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- 6 A verbal construction or form stating something is possible or probable. countable, uncountable
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Late Latin potentialis, from Latin potentia (“power”), from potens (“powerful”). By surface analysis, potent + -ial.
Etymology 2
From Late Latin potentialis, from Latin potentia (“power”), from potens (“powerful”). By surface analysis, potent + -ial.
See also for "potential"
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