potent

English

Etymology

From Middle English potent, borrowed from Latin potens, potentis (“powerful, strong, potent”), present participle of posse (“to be able”), from potis (“able, powerful, originally a lord, master”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpəʊt(ə)nt/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (General American) enPR: pōtʹnt IPA^(key): /ˈpoʊt(ə)nt/, ,
• Rhymes: -əʊtənt
• Hyphenation: po‧tent

Adjective

potent (comparative more potent, superlative most potent)

1. Powerful; possessing power; effective.
   • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     harsh and potent injuries

   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter I, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, →OCLC:

     Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence.

   • 1906, James George Frazer, Adonis, Attis, Osiris, volume 2, page 261:

     When the party reach the bridegroom's house on their return, his mother and the other women come out, and burn a little mustard and human hair in a lamp, the unpleasant smell emitted by these articles being considered potent to drive away evil spirits.

   • 2013 December 31, Roderick Campbell, Violence and Civilization: Studies of Social Violence in History and Prehistory, Oxbow Books, →ISBN:

     Still today, 400 years on, they remain potent wounds indeed: “When I think of what Oñate did to the Acoma Pueblo,” said a member of Sandia Pueblo in 1998 during the fourth centennial of his conquest, “I have a vision of Indian men lined up to have one foot cut off.”

   1. Possessing authority or influence; persuasive, convincing.

      a potent argument

      • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:

        Moses once more his potent rod extends.

      • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXI, in Francesca Carrara. , volume III, London: Richard Bentley, , (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 173:

        Moreover, her going was a sufficient reason for Hortense accompanying her; and Mazarin hoped as much from her beautiful face as from all the other potent reasons with which he had charged his negotiators.

   2. Possessing strong physical or chemical properties.

      a potent drink; a potent solvent; a potent medicine

      • 1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, page 53:

        Richardson took over, and Mitchell proceeded to the refreshment room in his turn, but when he came back some ten minutes later, it was evident that he had been indulging in something more potent than coffee, and he was in a very muddled state.

2. (of a male) Able to procreate.
3. (of a cell) Able to differentiate.

Derived terms

• potentize
• potent potable

Translations

Noun

potent (plural potents)

1. (obsolete) A prince; a potentate.
   • c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     Cry, havock , kings! back to the stained field, You equal potents

2. (obsolete) A staff or crutch.
3. (heraldry) A heraldic fur formed by a regular tessellation of blue and white T shapes.

Antonyms

• impotent
• (antonym(s) of "heraldry"): counterpotent

Derived terms

• counter-potent
• cross potent
• equipotent
• idempotent
• multipotent
• nilpotent
• oligopotent
• omnipotent
• pluripotent
• totipotent
• unipotent
• ventripotent

Related terms

• potence
• potency
• potentate
• potential
• potentiality
• potentiate
• potenty, potente
• cross potent

Further reading

• “potent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “potent”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• nettop, top ten

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin potentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian)

Adjective

potent m or f (masculine and feminine plural potents)

1. powerful
2. potent (capable of sexual intercourse)

Further reading

• “potent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Dutch

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin potens. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poːˈtɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: po‧tent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Adjective

potent (not comparable)

1. capable of procreation, potent (of males)

Inflection

Antonyms

• impotent

Related terms

• potentaat
• potentiaal
• potentie
• potentieel

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poˈtɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

potent (strong nominative masculine singular potenter, comparative potenter, superlative am potentesten)

1. potent

Declension

Derived terms

• impotent
• präpotent

Further reading

• “potent” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “potent” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon

Latin

Verb

pōtent

1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of pōtō

Middle English

Alternative forms

• potente

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin potens, potentis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔːˈtɛnt/, /ˈpɔːtɛnt/

Noun

potent (plural potentes)

1. (chiefly Late Middle English) staff, crutch

Descendants

• English: potent

References

• “potent(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin potens, potentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poˈtent/

Adjective

potent m or n (feminine singular potentă, masculine plural potenți, feminine and neuter plural potente)

1. (literary) potent, strong, vigorous, virile

Declension

Related terms

• puternic
• potență
• putință
• putea
• putere

Swedish

Adjective

potent

1. potent (capable of sexual intercourse)
2. potent (powerfully effective)

Declension

Related terms

• potens
• potential

References

• potent in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• potent in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• potent in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)