Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Late Latin
Origin: potentialis, from Latin potentia 'power', from potere; POTENT

potential

1 adjective
     
po‧ten‧tial1 S3 W2 [only before noun]
likely to develop into a particular type of person or thing in the future [= possible]
potential customer/buyer/client
new ways of attracting potential customers
potential benefit/problem
the potential benefits of the new system
potential danger/threat/risk
the potential risks to health associated with the drug
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary