Site Map | FAQ

• Editor's Favorites
  • Black History Month
  • 2010 Winter Olympics
  • Valentine's Day
  • Profile of Haiti
  • 2010 Calendar
  • Holidays in America
  • Most Populous Countries
  • H1N1 Overview
  • Countries of the World
  • Top 50 U.S. Cities
  • Color Psychology
  • Most Popular Names
  • The Fifty States

Dictionary

po•ten•tial

Pronunciation: (pu-ten'shul), [key]
—adj.
1. possible, as opposed to actual: the potential uses of nuclear energy.
2. capable of being or becoming: a potential danger to safety.
3. Gram.expressing possibility: the potential subjunctive in Latin; the potential use of can in I can go.
4. Archaic.potent¹.

—n.
1. possibility; potentiality: an investment that has little growth potential.
2. a latent excellence or ability that may or may not be developed.
3. Gram.
a. a potential aspect, mood, construction, case, etc.
b. a form in the potential.
4. Elect.See electric potential (def. 1).
5. Math., Physics.a type of function from which the intensity of a field may be derived, usually by differentiation.
6. someone or something that is considered a worthwhile possibility: The list of job applications has been narrowed to half a dozen potentials.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

potentate

potential difference

• • Cite
  • Print
  • Email
  • Bookmark
    • Add bookmark
    • Add to del.icio.us
    • Digg It!
    • Add to Reddit

Related Content Daily Word Quiz: antediluvian Analogy of the Day: Today's Analogy Spelling Bee: Today's Spelling Bee Kids' Word Quiz: tactful Crossword: Crossword Puzzle Guide Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language

Find definitions for: