potent

Borrowed from Latin potens, potentis (“powerful, strong, potent”), present participle of posse (“to be able”), from potis (“able, powerful, originally a lord, master”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpəʊt(ə)nt/
• (General American) enPR: pōtʹnt IPA^(key): /ˈpoʊt(ə)nt/, [ˈpʰoʊ̯ʔn̩t], [-n̩ʔ]
• Rhymes: -əʊtənt
• Hyphenation: po‧tent

potent (comparative more potent, superlative most potent)

1. 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.

2. Powerfully effective.

   a potent medicine

3. Having a sharp or offensive taste.
4. (of a male) Able to procreate.
5. 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.

potent (plural potents)

Potent.

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

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

3. (obsolete) A staff or crutch.

• impotent
• (heraldry) counterpotent

• idempotent
• nilpotent
• omnipotent
• pluripotent
• unipotent
• ventripotent

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

• potent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• potent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

• nettop, top ten

Borrowed from Latin potens, potentem.

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

potent (feminine potenta, masculine plural potents, feminine plural potentes)

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

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

• IPA^(key): /poːˈtɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: po‧tent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

potent (not comparable)

1. (of males) capable of procreation, potent

• impotent

• potentaat
• potentiaal
• potentie
• potentieel

• IPA^(key): /poˈtɛnt/

potent (comparative potenter, superlative am potentsten)

1. potent

• impotent
• präpotent

pōtent

1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of pōtō

Borrowed from Latin potens, potentem.

• IPA^(key): /poˈtent/

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

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

• potență
• putință
• putea
• putere

potent

1. potent, being effective in small quantities.

• potens
• potential