potentialnoun/pəˈtɛnʃəl/

• 1

  A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).

  • Even from a young age it was clear that she had the potential to become a great musician.
  • Comrades, our own fleet doesn't know our full potential. They will do everything possible to test us, but they will only test their own embarrassment.
• 2

  natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsThe gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field.

• 3

  natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsThe work (energy) required to move a reference particle from a reference location to a specified location in the presence of a force field, for example to bring a unit positive electric charge from an infinite distance to a specified point against an electric field.

• 4

  grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsA verbal construction or form stating something is possible or probable.

potentialadj/pəˈtɛnʃəl/

• 1

  Existing in possibility, not in actuality.

  • The heroic man,—and is not every man, God be thanked, a potential hero?—has to do so, in all times and circumstances.
• 2

  archaicBeing potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result

  • And hath, in his effect, a voice potential
• 3

  natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsirrotational

  • From Maxwell equations (6.20) it follows that the electric field is potential: E(r) = −gradφ(r).
• 4

  natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsirrotational (see potential flow on Wikipedia)

  • The non-viscous flow of the vacuum should be potential (irrotational).
• 5

  grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsReferring to a verbal construction of form stating something is possible or probable.