Potency
/ˈpoʊ.tən.si/noun
The power or ability to affect change; strength or effectiveness.
Did you know?Potency ultimately comes from Latin *potentia*, tied to *posse* “to be able,” the same root behind the idea of possibility itself — power as something that exists before it acts.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*potis
“able, powerful, master of”
Latin
Latin
potis
“able, capable”
Classical Latin
Latin
potentia
“power, ability, influence”
Old French
Old French
potence
“power, authority”
Middle English
English
potency
“power, efficacy”
Modern English
English
potency
“strength, effectiveness, capacity to produce an effect”