Advertisement

Origin and history of potency

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 might form 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 might also be the source of: Sanskrit patih "master, husband;" Greek posis, Lithuanian patis "husband;" Latin potis "powerful, able, capable; possible." 

    Advertisement

    More to explore

    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

    Share potency

    Advertisement
    Trending
    Dictionary entries near potency
    Advertisement