potens

Latin

Etymology

Present active participle of possum (“be able (to)”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.tens/, [ˈpɔ.tẽːs]

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

Adjective

potēns m, f, n (genitive potentis); third declension

1. being able (to), able; potent, mighty, strong, powerful

Inflection

Third declension.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
nominative	potēns			potentēs	potentia
genitive	potentis			potentium
dative	potentī			potentibus
accusative	potentem	potēns		potentēs	potentia
ablative	potente, potentī1			potentibus
vocative	potēns			potentēs	potentia

¹When used purely as an adjective.

• comparative: potentior, superlative: potentissimus

Derived terms

• armipotēns
• astripotēns
• bellipotēns
• omnipotēns

Descendants

• English: potent
• French: puissant
• Italian: potente

• Portuguese: potente
• Romanian: potent
• Spanish: potente, pudiente

References

• potens in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• potens in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• du Cange, Charles (1883), “potens”, in G. A. Louis Henschel, Pierre Carpentier, Léopold Favre, editors, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (in Latin), Niort: L. Favre
• “potens” in Félix Gaffiot’s Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette (1934)
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) oligarchy: paucorum dominatio or potentia
    
• potens in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin potentia

Noun

potens m (definite singular potensen, indefinite plural potenser, definite plural potensene)

1. potency
2. (mathematics) power

References

• “potens” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin potentia

Noun

potens m (definite singular potensen, indefinite plural potensar, definite plural potensane)

1. potency
2. (mathematics) power

References

• “potens” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.