potential
Use Potential in a sentence
ʃəl adjective
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.
noun
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.
a.
a potential aspect, mood, construction, case, etc.
b.
a form in the potential.
8.
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.
00:10
Potential
is always a great word to know.
So is en dash. Does it mean:
| a dash one en long. |
| a dash one em long. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To potential
Collins
World English Dictionary
potential (pəˈtɛnʃəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | a. possible but not yet actual |
| b. (prenominal) capable of being or becoming but not yet in existence; latent | |
| 2. | grammar (of a verb or form of a verb) expressing possibility, as English may and might |
| 3. | an archaic word for potent |
| —n | |
| 4. | latent but unrealized ability or capacity: Jones has great potential as a sales manager |
| 5. | grammar a potential verb or verb form |
| 6. | short for electric potential |
| [C14: from Old French potencial, from Late Latin potentiālis, from Latin potentia power] | |
| po'tentially | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
potential
late 14c., "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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
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.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
As for the conventions, the critics complained that both candidates displayed little savvy about the potential of the medium.
The focus on human kinetic energy misses the enormous potential of this technology.
She had spent two years cultivating a potential donor to make a multimillion-dollar gift to her college.
Given its environmental benefits, sugar-based ethanol has the potential to be a global industry.
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