potence
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French potence (“power, a crutch”), from Latin potentia (“power, in Medieval Latin also crutch”), from potens (“powerful”); see potent.
Noun
potence (countable and uncountable, plural potences)
- power or strength; potency
- A stud that acts as a support of a pivot in a watch or clock
- (heraldry) Synonym of crutch
Derived terms
- idempotence
- nilpotence
- unipotence
Related terms
- potency
- potent
- potentate
- potential
- potentiality
Further reading
- potence in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- potence in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
Anagrams
- pet cone
Czech
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin potis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈpotɛnt͡sɛ]
- Rhymes: -ɛntsɛ
Noun
potence f
- potency
Declension
Declension of potence
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | potence | potence |
| genitive | potence | potencí |
| dative | potenci | potencím |
| accusative | potenci | potence |
| vocative | potence | potence |
| locative | potenci | potencích |
| instrumental | potencí | potencemi |
Related terms
Related terms
- idempotence
- idempotentní
- impotence
- impotent
- impotentní
- potenciál
- potenciální
- potenciometr
- potencionální
- potentát
- potentní
- omnipotence
- omnipotentní
Further reading
- potence in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
- potence in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
French
Etymology
From Old French, borrowed from Latin potentia.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pɔ.tɑ̃s/
Audio (Paris) (file) Audio (file)
Noun
potence f (plural potences)
- (construction) post and braces
- gallows, gibbet (for hanging)
- stem (component on a bicycle)
Usage notes
Beware that this is a false friend, meaning “gallows” (or similar wooden constructions), not “strength”, from the Middle Latin meaning “crutch” of potentia.
Synonyms
- gibet
Derived terms
- gibier de potence
Further reading
- “potence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
- écopent