potential
/pəˈtɛnʃəl/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.01 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
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
noun
A verbal construction or form stating something is possible or probable.
Countable; Uncountable
adj
Existing in possibility, not in actuality.
adj
adj
irrotational (see potential flow on Wikipedia)
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
- "The heroic man,—and is not every man, God be thanked, a potential hero?—has to do so, in all times and circumstances."
- "And hath, in his effect, a voice potential"
- "From Maxwell equations (6.20) it follows that the electric field is potential: E(r) = −gradφ(r)."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *h₁es-, potentialis, potentia
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pəˈtɛnʃəl/
- British English: /pəˈtɛnʃəl/