■ adjective having the capacity to develop into something in the future.
■ noun
1》 latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness.
2》 (often ~ for/to do something ) the possibility of something happening or of someone doing something in the future.
3》 Physics the quantity determining the energy of mass in a gravitational field or of charge in an electric field.
Derivatives
~ity noun
~ize or ~ise verb
~ly adverb
Origin
ME: from late L. ~is , from potentia 'power'.