[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

potential \poten"tial\, a. cf. f. potentiel. see potency.
   1. being potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result;
      efficacious; influential. obs. "and hath in his effect a
      voice potential." --shak.
      1913 webster

   2. existing in possibility, not in actuality. "a potential
      hero." --carlyle.
      1913 webster

            potential existence means merely that the thing may
            be at ome time; actual existence, that it now is.
                                                  --sir w.
                                                  hamilton.
      1913 webster

   potential cautery. see under cautery.

   potential energy. mech. see the note under energy.

   potential mood, or potential mode gram., that form of
      the verb which is used to express possibility, liberty,
      power, will, obligation, or necessity, by the use of may,
      can, must, might, could, would, or should; as, i may go;
      he can write.
      1913 webster
see also:
potency potential cautery cautery potential energy energy potential mood 
potential mode 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

potential \poten"tial\, n.
   1. anything that may be possible; a possibility; potentially.
      --bacon.
      1913 webster

   2. math. in the theory of gravitation, or of other forces
      acting in space, a function of the rectangular coordinates
      which determine the position of a point, such that its
      differential coefficients with respect to the coordinates
      are equal to the components of the force at the point
      considered; -- also called potential function, or force
      function. it is called also newtonian potential when
      the force is directed to a fixed center and is inversely
      as the square of the distance from the center.
      1913 webster

   3. elec. the energy of an electrical charge measured by its
      power to do work; hence, the degree of electrification as
      referred to some standard, as that of the earth;
      electro-motive force.
      1913 webster
see also:
potential function force function newtonian potential 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

potential
     adj 1: existing in possibility; "a potential problem"; "possible
            uses of nuclear power" syn: possible ant: actual
     2: expected to become or be; in prospect; "potential clients";
        "expected income" syn: expected, likely
     n 1: the inherent capacity for coming into being syn: potentiality,
           potency
     2: the difference in electrical charge between two points in a
        circuit expressed in volts syn: electric potential, potential
        difference, potential drop, voltage
see also:
possible actual expected likely potentiality potency 
electric potential potential difference potential drop voltage 

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

127 moby thesaurus words for "potential":
   emf, ability, aptitude, bare possibility, between the lines,
   budding, bump, caliber, capability, capacity, chance, cogitable,
   concealed, conceivability, conceivable, conceivableness,
   conceivably possible, conditional, contingency, contingent, covert,
   cryptic, delitescent, developing, dormant, dower, dowry,
   electric potential, electromotive force, electromotivity,
   embryonic, endowment, equipment, esoteric, even chance,
   eventuality, faculty, flair, forte, future, genius, gift,
   good chance, good possibility, hibernating, hidden, hope,
   humanly possible, imaginable, imminent, imperative, implicit,
   implied, indicative, instinct, jussive, latent, likelihood, likely,
   long suit, lurking, makings, metier, mode, mood, muffled, mystic,
   natural endowment, natural gift, obfuscated, obligative, obscured,
   occult, off chance, optative, outside chance, outside hope, parts,
   passive, permissive, plausible, possibilities, possibility,
   possible, possibleness, potency, potential difference,
   potentiality, power, powers, probability, probable, prospect,
   qualification, quiescent, remote possibility, sleeping, small hope,
   speciality, strong flair, strong point, subjunctive, submerged,
   talent, talents, the attainable, the feasible, the goods,
   the possible, the stuff, thinkability, thinkable, thinkableness,
   under the surface, underlying, undeveloped, unmanifested,
   unrealized, veiled, virtual, virtuality, volt, voltage,
   what is possible, what it takes, what may be, what might be

Potential >> P Words
Potential, definition of term: Potential
potential_pag1.html

Potential Energ >> P Words
Potential Energ, definition of term: Potential Energ
potential+energ_pag1.html

Potential Diffe >> P Words
Potential Diffe, definition of term: Potential Diffe
potential+diffe_pag1.html