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/, [ˈpʰoʊ̯ʔn̩t], [-n̩ʔ]
• Rhymes: -əʊtənt
• Hyphenation: po‧tent

Adjective

potent (comparative more potent, superlative most potent)

1. Possessing strength.

   a potent argument

   • 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.

   • 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.

2. Powerfully effective.

   a potent medicine

   • 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.

   • 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.

3. Having a sharp or offensive taste.
4. (of a male) Able to procreate.
5. Very powerful or 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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:

     harsh and potent injuries

   • 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.

6. (of a cell) Ability to differentiate.

Derived terms

• potentize
• potent potable

Translations

powerfully effective

• Bulgarian: силен (bg) (silen)
• Finnish: voimakas (fi), tehokas (fi), vahva (fi), potentti
• French: puissant (fr)
• Italian: potente (it)
• Latin: potens (la)
• Macedonian: си́лен (sílen)
• Middle English: vertuous
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: effektfull (no), virkningsfull

• Portuguese: potente (pt)
• Romanian: potent (ro)
• Spanish: potente (es)

Noun

potent (plural potents)

Potent.

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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     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
• (heraldry): counterpotent

Derived terms

• equipotent
• idempotent
• multipotent
• nilpotent
• oligopotent
• omnipotent
• pluripotent
• totipotent
• unipotent
• ventripotent

Related terms

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

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

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /poˈtent/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /puˈten/

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

Inflection of potent
uninflected	potent
inflected	potente
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		potent
indefinite	m./f. sing.	potente
	n. sing.	potent
	plural	potente
definite		potente
partitive		potents

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

Positive forms of potent

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist potent	sie ist potent	es ist potent	sie sind potent
strong declension (without article)	nominative	potenter	potente	potentes	potente
	genitive	potenten	potenter	potenten	potenter
	dative	potentem	potenter	potentem	potenten
	accusative	potenten	potente	potentes	potente
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der potente	die potente	das potente	die potenten
	genitive	des potenten	der potenten	des potenten	der potenten
	dative	dem potenten	der potenten	dem potenten	den potenten
	accusative	den potenten	die potente	das potente	die potenten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein potenter	eine potente	ein potentes	(keine) potenten
	genitive	eines potenten	einer potenten	eines potenten	(keiner) potenten
	dative	einem potenten	einer potenten	einem potenten	(keinen) potenten
	accusative	einen potenten	eine potente	ein potentes	(keine) potenten

Comparative forms of potent

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist potenter	sie ist potenter	es ist potenter	sie sind potenter
strong declension (without article)	nominative	potenterer	potentere	potenteres	potentere
	genitive	potenteren	potenterer	potenteren	potenterer
	dative	potenterem	potenterer	potenterem	potenteren
	accusative	potenteren	potentere	potenteres	potentere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der potentere	die potentere	das potentere	die potenteren
	genitive	des potenteren	der potenteren	des potenteren	der potenteren
	dative	dem potenteren	der potenteren	dem potenteren	den potenteren
	accusative	den potenteren	die potentere	das potentere	die potenteren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein potenterer	eine potentere	ein potenteres	(keine) potenteren
	genitive	eines potenteren	einer potenteren	eines potenteren	(keiner) potenteren
	dative	einem potenteren	einer potenteren	einem potenteren	(keinen) potenteren
	accusative	einen potenteren	eine potentere	ein potenteres	(keine) potenteren

Superlative forms of potent

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am potentesten	sie ist am potentesten	es ist am potentesten	sie sind am potentesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	potentester	potenteste	potentestes	potenteste
	genitive	potentesten	potentester	potentesten	potentester
	dative	potentestem	potentester	potentestem	potentesten
	accusative	potentesten	potenteste	potentestes	potenteste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der potenteste	die potenteste	das potenteste	die potentesten
	genitive	des potentesten	der potentesten	des potentesten	der potentesten
	dative	dem potentesten	der potentesten	dem potentesten	den potentesten
	accusative	den potentesten	die potenteste	das potenteste	die potentesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein potentester	eine potenteste	ein potentestes	(keine) potentesten
	genitive	eines potentesten	einer potentesten	eines potentesten	(keiner) potentesten
	dative	einem potentesten	einer potentesten	einem potentesten	(keinen) potentesten
	accusative	einen potentesten	eine potenteste	ein potentestes	(keine) potentesten

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

Declension of potent

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	potent		potentă	potenți	potente
	definite	potentul		potenta	potenții	potentele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	potent		potente	potenți	potente
	definite	potentului		potentei	potenților	potentelor

Related terms

• puternic
• potență
• putință
• putea
• putere

Swedish

Adjective

potent

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

Declension

Inflection of potent
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	potent	mer potent	mest potent
Neuter singular	potent	mer potent	mest potent
Plural	potenta	mer potenta	mest potenta
Masculine plural3	potente	mer potenta	mest potenta
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	potente	mer potente	mest potente
All	potenta	mer potenta	mest potenta
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 3) Dated or archaic

Related terms

• potens
• potential

References

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