Dynamis
/ˈdjuː.nə.mɪs/noun
An ancient Greek term meaning power, capacity, or potential for action or change.
Did you know?Aristotle contrasted *dynamis*—潜在 capacity or possibility—with *energeia*, the realized activity or power in action.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰuH-n̥-mi-
“A reconstructed verbal formation associated with being able or having power; the deeper origin remains debated.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
δύναμαι (dýnamai)
“I am able; I have the power or capacity to do something.”
5th–4th Century BCE
Greek
δύναμις (dýnamis)
“Power, ability, capacity, force, or potential.”
4th Century BCE
Greek
δύναμις (dýnamis)
“A central philosophical concept, especially in Aristotle, describing potentiality in contrast with actuality.”
17th Century
English
dynamis
“A learned English borrowing used in philosophy, theology, and classical scholarship.”
Modern English
English
dynamis
“A specialized term for latent power, potential, or capacity for change.”