potențial

Forms

potențial (adjective) m or n (feminine singular potențială, masculine plural potențiali, feminine/neuter plural potențiale); (noun) n (plural potențiale)^[1][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French potentiel.^{[1][3][2][4][5]} The neologism dictionaries give French as the source too.^[6] Scriban took it instead from Latin potentiālis, formed on potentia (“power”).^[7] Wiktionary adds that in Romanian the word can be analysed as from Romanian potență + -ial.^[5]

The French word appears first as potencial in the 14th century, and in its present form from 1534; physicians borrowed it from Late Latin potentiālis of the 4th century, a derivative of the same Latin noun for “power”.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 and the DLR first record the noun in Petru Poni's physics textbook, in the 1897 (seventh) edition, as the name for the electric state of a body that an electrometer measures.^[2][3] In the same book the adjective appears in energie potențială “potential energy”, the energy a body has the power to produce without producing it yet.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word entered Romanian as a term of physics, for the noun and for the adjective in energie potențială.^[3][2] From physics the noun spread to the capacity of an economy, an industry or a person to produce or act: the DLR quotes potențialul industrial, potențialul hidroenergetic and a potențial artistic in Sadoveanu.^[3][9]

The adjective took the general sense “existing as a possibility, not in fact”, which Șăineanu already gives, with a grammatical sense for a mood or a clause that presents an action as possible.^[10][7][11] The DLR quotes un adversar potențial “a potential adversary” from the press of the mid-20th century.^[3]

Timeline

• 1897 – the noun and energie potențială in Poni's physics textbook (7th edition), the first record.^[2][3]
• 1929 – Șăineanu gives the adjective “existing potentially, not in fact” and the grammatical sense.^[10]
• 1939 – Scriban defines the adjective in physics and grammar and the noun.^[7]
• 1955–1957 – the DLRLC records the noun in potențial electric and potențial de război “war potential”.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Having in itself all that is needed to come about; existing as a possibility, virtual: energie potențială “potential energy”.^[1][6]
2. (grammar) Of a mood or a clause: presenting an action as possible without saying whether it happens.^[1][6]

Noun

1. (physics) A quantity whose variation in space and time characterizes a physical field: potențial electric “electric potential”.^[1][2]
2. The capacity for work, production or action; by extension force, power: potențialul economic al țării “the country's economic potential”.^[1][3]

Related words

• potență
• French potentiel

Usage notes

The adjective and the noun differ in the plural: adjective potențiali, potențiale, noun potențiale.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 856
2. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 488
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. potențial
4. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional
5. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
6. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual
7. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne
10. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc
11. ^ DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic
12. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 519