Where does “potential” come from?
Potential comes from Late Latin potentialis, formed from Latin potentia (power, ability) with the suffix -alis, ultimately deriving from Latin possum (to be able).
potential (English): Currently unrealized ability; The gravitational...
Definitions
- Currently unrealized ability; The gravitational...
Ancestry of “potential”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | potentialis | force, power |
| 2 | Dutch | potentiaal | — |
| 3 | German | potenzial | potential |
| 4 | Latin | potentialis | force, power |
| 5 | Latin | Potentia | situated in the valley of the Casuentus, now Potenza |
| 6 | Latin | potēns | being able (to), able; potent, mighty, strong, powerful |
| 7 | Latin | posse | present active infinitive of possum "to be able... |
| 8 | Latin | potis | able, capable, possible |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | potis | master, in control of |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pótis | master, ruler; husband |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₃tis | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₃- | to drink |
Words derived from “potential”
- potentially
- potentiality
- equipotential
- overpotential
- geopotential
- multipotential
- pseudopotential
- biopotential
- bipotential
- superpotential
- potentialization
- isopotential
- underpotential
- myopotential
- afterpotential
- prepotential
- potentialize
- bipotentiality
- nonpotential
- underpotentially
- nonpotentiality
- quasipotential
- tripotential
- hydropotential