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potential
8 dictionary results for: Potential
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
po·ten·tial 
[puh-ten-shuhl] Pronunciation Key
[puh-ten-shuhl] Pronunciation Key –adjective
–noun
| 1. | possible, as opposed to actual: the potential uses of nuclear energy. |
| 2. | capable of being or becoming: a potential danger to safety. |
| 3. | Grammar. expressing possibility: the potential subjunctive in Latin; the potential use of can in I can go. |
| 4. | Archaic. potent1. |
| 5. | possibility; potentiality: an investment that has little growth potential. |
| 6. | a latent excellence or ability that may or may not be developed. |
| 7. | Grammar.
|
| 8. | Electricity. electric potential (def. 1). |
| 9. | Mathematics, Physics. a type of function from which the intensity of a field may be derived, usually by differentiation. |
| 10. | someone or something that is considered a worthwhile possibility: The list of job applications has been narrowed to half a dozen potentials. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| po·ten·tial
(pə-těn'shəl) Pronunciation Key
adj.
n.
[Middle English potencial, from Old French potenciel, from Late Latin potentiālis, powerful, from Latin potentia, power, from potēns, potent-, present participle of posse, to be able; see potent.] po·ten'tial·ly adv. |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| potential difference
n. Symbol V The amount of energy per unit charge needed to move a charged particle from a reference point to a designated point in a static electric field; voltage. Also called potential. |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
potential
potential
1398, "possible" (as opposed to actual), from L.L. potentialis "potential," from L. potentia "power" (see potent). The noun, meaning "that which is possible," is first attested 1817, from the adj.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| potential | |
adjective | |
| 1. | existing in possibility; "a potential problem"; "possible uses of nuclear power" [ant: actual] |
| 2. | expected to become or be; in prospect; "potential clients" [syn: likely] |
noun | |
| 1. | the inherent capacity for coming into being |
| 2. | the difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts [syn: electric potential] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
potential po·ten·tial (pə-těn'shəl)
adj.
Capable of being but not yet in existence; latent. n.
- The inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming into being.
- The work required to bring a unit electric charge, magnetic pole, or mass from an infinitely distant position to a designated point in a static electric, magnetic, or gravitational field, respectively.
- The potential energy of a unit charge at any point in an electric circuit measured with respect to a specified reference point in the circuit or to ground; voltage.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Potential
Po*ten"tial\, a. [Cf. F. potentiel. See Potency.]1. Being potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result; efficacious; influential. [Obs.] "And hath in his effect a voice potential." --Shak. 2. Existing in possibility, not in actuality. "A potential hero." --Carlyle. Potential existence means merely that the thing may be at ome time; actual existence, that it now is. --Sir W. Hamilton. Potential cautery. See under Cautery. Potential energy. (Mech.) See the Note under Energy. Potential mood, or mode (Gram.), that form of the verb which is used to express possibility, liberty, power, will, obligation, or necessity, by the use of may, can, must, might, could, would, or should; as, I may go; he can write.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Potential
Po*ten"tial\, n. 1. Anything that may be possible; a possibility; potentially. --Bacon. 2. (Math.) In the theory of gravitation, or of other forces acting in space, a function of the rectangular coordinates which determine the position of a point, such that its differential coefficients with respect to the co["o]rdinates are equal to the components of the force at the point considered; -- also called potential function, or force function. It is called also Newtonian potential when the force is directed to a fixed center and is inversely as the square of the distance from the center. 3. (Elec.) The energy of an electrical charge measured by its power to do work; hence, the degree of electrification as referred to some standard, as that of the earth; electro-motive force.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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