potential
Pronunciation: /pəˈtɛnʃəl/
The English word “potential” has 9 meanings listed here.
noun
- A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).
- The gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field.
- 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.
- A verbal construction or form stating something is possible or probable.
adjective
- Existing in possibility, not in actuality.
- Being potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result
- irrotational
- irrotational (see potential flow on Wikipedia)
- Referring to a verbal construction of form stating something is possible or probable.
Etymology
From Late Latin potentialis, from Latin potentia (“power”), from potens (“powerful”). By surface analysis, potent + -ial.
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More English words
- potent potable
- potentacy
- potentate
- potentation
- potential difference
- potential energy
- potential mood
- potential temperature
About this dictionary
The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.
Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.