Wiktionary

potent

English

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Etymology

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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

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Adjective

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potent (comparative more potent, superlative most potent)

  1. Powerful; possessing power; 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
    • 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), page 373, column 2:
      Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence.
    • 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.
    • 2013 December 31, Roderick Campbell, Violence and Civilization: Studies of Social Violence in History and Prehistory, Oxbow Books, →ISBN:
      Still today, 400 years on, they remain potent wounds indeed: “When I think of what Oñate did to the Acoma Pueblo,” said a member of Sandia Pueblo in 1998 during the fourth centennial of his conquest, “I have a vision of Indian men lined up to have one foot cut off.”
    1. Possessing authority or influence; persuasive, convincing.
      a potent argument
      • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
        Moses once more his potent rod extends.
      • 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.
    2. Possessing strong physical or chemical properties.
      a potent drink; a potent solvent; a potent medicine
      • 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.
  2. (of a male) Able to procreate.
  3. (of a cell) Able to differentiate.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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potent (plural potents)

 
Potent.
  1. (obsolete) A prince; a potentate.
  2. (obsolete) A staff or crutch.
  3. (heraldry) A heraldic fur formed by a regular tessellation of blue and white T shapes.

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Catalan

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin potentem.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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potent m or f (masculine and feminine plural potents)

  1. powerful
  2. potent (capable of sexual intercourse)

Further reading

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Ultimately from Latin potens. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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potent (not comparable)

  1. potent, forceful
    Synonym: krachtig
  2. (sexuality, of males) capable of procreation, potent

Declension

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Declension 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

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German

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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potent (strong nominative masculine singular potenter, comparative potenter, superlative am potentesten)

  1. potent

Declension

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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

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Further reading

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  • “potent” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “potent” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon

Latin

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Verb

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pōtent

  1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of pōtō

Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin potens, potentis.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /pɔːˈtɛnt/, /ˈpɔːtɛnt/

Noun

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potent (plural potentes)

  1. (chiefly Late Middle English) staff, crutch

Descendants

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  • English: potent

References

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin potens, potentem.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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potent m or n (feminine singular potentă, masculine plural potenți, feminine and neuter plural potente)

  1. (literary) potent, strong, vigorous, virile

Declension

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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
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Swedish

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Adjective

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potent

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

Declension

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Inflection of potent
Indefinite positive comparative superlative1
common singular potent mer potent mest potent
neuter singular potent mer potent mest potent
plural potenta mer potenta mest potenta
masculine plural2 potente mer potenta mest potenta
Definite positive comparative superlative
masculine singular3 potente mer potente mest potente
all potenta mer potenta mest potenta

1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
2 Dated or archaic.
3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

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References

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Chat 2
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