potent
English
Etymology
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/
- (General American) enPR: pōtʹnt IPA(key): /ˈpoʊt(ə)nt/, [ˈpʰoʊ̯ʔn̩t], [-n̩ʔ]
- Rhymes: -əʊtənt
- Hyphenation: po‧tent
Adjective
potent (comparative more potent, superlative most potent)
- Possessing strength.
- a potent argument
- 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter I, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, OCLC 40817384:
- Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence.
- Powerfully effective.
- a potent medicine
- Having a sharp or offensive taste.
- (of a male) Able to procreate.
- Very powerful or effective.
- (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare
- harsh and potent injuries
- (Can we date this quote?) John Milton
- Moses once more his potent rod extends.
- (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare
Translations
powerfully effective
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Noun
potent (plural potents)
Potent.
- (heraldry) A heraldic fur formed by a regular tessellation of blue and white T shapes.
- (obsolete) A prince; a potentate.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
- (obsolete) A staff or crutch.
Antonyms
- impotent
- (heraldry) counterpotent
Derived terms
- idempotent
- nilpotent
- omnipotent
- pluripotent
- unipotent
- ventripotent
Related terms
- potence
- potency
- potentate
- potential
- potentiality
- potenty, potente
Further reading
- potent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- potent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- nettop, top ten
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin potens, potentem.
Pronunciation
- (Balearic, Valencian) IPA(key): /poˈtent/
- (Central) IPA(key): /puˈten/
Adjective
potent (feminine potenta, masculine plural potents, feminine plural potentes)
- powerful
- potent (capable of sexual intercourse)
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)
- (of males) capable of procreation, potent
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/
Adjective
potent (comparative potenter, superlative am potentsten)
- potent
Declension
Positive forms of potent
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
| 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 | all genders | ||
| 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 | all genders | ||
| predicative | er ist am potentsten | sie ist am potentsten | es ist am potentsten | sie sind am potentsten | |
| strong declension (without article) | nominative | potentster | potentste | potentstes | potentste |
| genitive | potentsten | potentster | potentsten | potentster | |
| dative | potentstem | potentster | potentstem | potentsten | |
| accusative | potentsten | potentste | potentstes | potentste | |
| weak declension (with definite article) | nominative | der potentste | die potentste | das potentste | die potentsten |
| genitive | des potentsten | der potentsten | des potentsten | der potentsten | |
| dative | dem potentsten | der potentsten | dem potentsten | den potentsten | |
| accusative | den potentsten | die potentste | das potentste | die potentsten | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) | nominative | ein potentster | eine potentste | ein potentstes | (keine) potentsten |
| genitive | eines potentsten | einer potentsten | eines potentsten | (keiner) potentsten | |
| dative | einem potentsten | einer potentsten | einem potentsten | (keinen) potentsten | |
| accusative | einen potentsten | eine potentste | ein potentstes | (keine) potentsten | |
Derived terms
- impotent
- präpotent
Latin
Verb
pōtent
- third-person plural present active subjunctive of pōtō
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)
- (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
- potență
- putință
- putea
- putere
Swedish
Adjective
potent
- potent, being effective in small quantities.
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 |
| 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. | |||
Related terms
- potens
- potential