po·ten·tial
pə-ˈten(t)-shəl
1
: existing in possibility : capable of development into actuality
potential benefits
2
: expressing possibility
specifically
: of, relating to, or constituting a verb phrase expressing possibility, liberty, or power by the use of an auxiliary with the infinitive of the verb (as in "it may rain")
1
a
: something that can develop or become actual
a potential for violence
b
2
a
: any of various functions from which the intensity or the velocity at any point in a field may be readily calculated
b
: the work required to move a unit positive charge from a reference point (as at infinity) to a point in question
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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