English
potential
Potential comes from Late Latin potentialis ‘force, power’, and goes back to Latin potens.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpotens‘powerful’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpotentia‘power’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpotentialis‘force’
- Englishearliest quotation 1603potential
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpotens‘powerful’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpotentia‘power’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpotentialis‘force’
- Englishearliest quotation 1603potential
Earliest quotation: 1603, William Shakespeare: “And hath, in his effect, a voice potential”.
Equivalent to potent + -ial
Proto-Indo-European *pótis ‘owner, master, host, husband’
…
Latin potis ‘able, powerful, originally a lord, master’
Latin posse ‘to be able’
Latin potens ‘powerful, strong, potent’
Middle English potent ‘staff, crutch’
English potent
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‘to be’
is, am, interest, sin, sinful, soothe, swastika, sinless, asana, sooth, quintessence, 11 more
through Proto-Indo-European *pótis ‘master, ruler’
through Proto-Italic *potis ‘master, in control of’
impossible, possibility, 5 more
through Latin potens ‘powerful’
Today it means
noun A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin potens / potential