potential

Think of potential as the seed of an idea or a person's hidden talent. It describes something that isn't quite there yet, but has all the ingredients to become something great.

When we call someone a potential leader, we mean they have the skills to lead, even if they aren't in charge right now. It is a word full of hope and future possibility.

The word comes from the Latin potentialis, which is linked to potens, meaning 'powerful.' It traveled through Old French before landing in English in the 14th century.

It originally had a very philosophical meaning related to 'power' or 'force.' Over time, it shifted to describe the capacity for something to happen, moving from a heavy scientific term to a common word for future success.

You will hear potential used in many settings, from business meetings to casual chats. It is often paired with nouns like customer, problem, or candidate.

In formal contexts, it sounds professional and objective. In casual talk, it sounds encouraging, like saying, 'You have so much potential!'

While 'potential' itself isn't always in an idiom, it is used in phrases like reach your full potential, which means doing the best you possibly can. Another is untapped potential, referring to skills no one has noticed yet.

We also talk about potential energy in science, which is stored energy waiting to be released. These phrases help us describe the hidden power in people or things.

Pronounced puh-TEN-shul, the stress is on the second syllable. It rhymes with words like essential and influential.

As an adjective, it usually comes before the noun it describes, such as a potential risk. It is a non-gradable adjective, so we usually don't say 'very potential,' but rather 'great potential' when used as a noun.