potency (n.)

"power, inherent strength, ability to accomplish or effect," mid-15c., potencie, from Latin potentia "power," from potentem "potent," from potis "powerful, able, capable," from PIE root *poti- "powerful; lord."

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to potency

*poti-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "powerful; lord."

It forms all or part of: bashaw; compos mentis; despot; hospodar; host (n.1) "person who receives guests;" idempotent; impotent; omnipotent; pasha; plenipotentiary; posse; possess; possible; potence; potency; potent; potentate; potential; potentiate; potentiometer; power; totipotent.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit patih "master, husband;" Greek posis, Lithuanian patis "husband;" Latin potis "powerful, able, capable; possible."

Trends of potency

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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impotence

early 15c., "physical weakness," also "poverty," from Old French impotence "weakness" (13c.), from Latin impotentia "lack of control or power," from impotentem "lacking control, powerless" (see impotent). In reference to a complete want of (male) sexual potency, from c. 1500. The

potential

late 14c., "possible" (as opposed to actual), "capable of being or becoming," from Old French potenciel and directly from Medieval Latin potentialis "potential," from Latin potentia "power, might, force;" figuratively "political power, authority, influence," from potens "powerful

strength

Middle English strengthe, from Old English strengþu, strengð "property of being strong, bodily power, muscular force; vigor, firmness, fortitude, manhood; violence; moral resistance," from Proto-Germanic *strangitho (source also of Old High German strengida "strength"), from PIE

virtual

capabilities, effective with respect to inherent natural qualities," from Medieval Latin virtualis, from Latin virtus "excellence, potency...

authority

c. 1200, autorite, auctorite "authoritative passage or statement, book or quotation that settles an argument, passage from Scripture," from Old French autorité, auctorité "authority, prestige, right, permission, dignity, gravity; the Scriptures" (12c.; Modern French autorité), fr

sovereignty

late 14c., soverainte, "pre-eminence, excellence, superiority;" also "authority, rule, supremacy of power or rank," from Anglo-French sovereynete, Old French souverainete, from soverain (see sovereign (adj.)). The meaning "existence as an independent state" is from 1715; the gene

chance

c. 1300, "something that takes place, what happens, an occurrence" (good or bad, but more often bad), especially one that is unexpected, unforeseen, or beyond human control, also "one's luck, lot, or fortune," good or bad; in a positive sense "opportunity, favorable contingency;"

carte blanche

1707, "paper duly authenticated by a signature and otherwise blank, left to someone to be filled in at his discretion," French, literally "white paper," from carte (see card (n.1)) + blanche, from Old French blanc "white," a word of Germanic origin (see blank (adj.)). The figurat

power

c. 1300, pouer, "ability; ability to act or do; strength, vigor, might," especially in battle; "efficacy; control, mastery, lordship, dominion, ability or right to command or control; legal power or authority; authorization; military force, an army," from Anglo-French pouair, Old

muscle

"contractible animal tissue consisting of bundles of fibers," late 14c., "a muscle of the body," from Latin musculus "a muscle," literally "a little mouse," diminutive of mus "mouse" (see mouse (n.)). So called because the shape and movement of some muscles (notably biceps) were

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updated on September 23, 2020

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