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potency
[ poht-n-see ]
noun
- the state or quality of being potent.
the potency of God's word.
- capacity to be, become, or develop; potentiality.
- a person or thing exerting power or influence.
- Mathematics. cardinal number ( def 2 ).
potency
/ ˈpəʊtənsɪ /
noun
- the state or quality of being potent
- latent or inherent capacity for growth or development
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Other Words From
- over·poten·cy noun
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of potency1
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Example Sentences
The 26-year-old was only a few months into his new job at Praxis Laboratory, a Washington state lab that conducts consumer safety tests and THC potency analysis for legal cannabis products.
The difficulty is “finding a way to manufacture it in a way that is acceptable to the FDA in terms of purity and potency,” says Bartee.
Studies suggest the potency has tripled in just a few years.
Numerous academic groups are rushing to study the vaccines’ potency in immunocompromised people.
At the same time, Tuesday’s announcement marks the latest in a series of inconsistent conclusions about the potency of Sinovac’s vaccine, which has now produced four different efficacy results across three continents.
The problem comes at this point because the liquid loses its potency within an hour even in ideal conditions.
We need to believe that Taylor's actions yesterday are pure, or the transparency loses its potency.
Lukaku—a bull of a man who at 21 is shaping up to be a player of lasting potency—made an immediate, deadly impact.
If one word—soccer (or football)—sums up Uruguay, two words—Luis Suárez—capture the potency of the Uruguayan game.
There are thousands of different probiotic options on the market, all with varying potency and ingredients.
They have a living faith in the potency of the Horse-Guards, and in the maxim that "Safe bind is sure find."
The wine was strong, or this mountain air added to the potency of its effects upon us.
A more ghastly sight, or an object-lesson of more potency, could scarcely be imagined.
An attempt to imagine a body destitute of thy potency, would be to bankrupt and deaden the material universe.
The Egyptians obtained from that sacred land incense-bearing trees which had magical potency.
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Related Words
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More About Potency
What does potency mean?
Potency means strength and effectiveness.
It is most commonly used in the context of medications and drugs in reference to how strong or effective they are or are capable of being.
It can also be used in a more general way to refer to the power or effectiveness of someone or something, such as a leader or a statement.
Potency is the noun form of the adjective potent, which generally means powerful but is commonly applied to things that produce a powerful physical or chemical effect.
Example: The medication will lose its potency if kept in the sunlight.
Where does potency come from?
The first records of the word potency come from around the 1500s. It ultimately derives from the Latin potentia, meaning “power.”
Potency is perhaps most commonly used in a medical context, in which it refers to the strength of the effect that something can have on the body. A substance with high potency will have a big effect on the body, and something with low potency will have a smaller one. For example, some strains of cannabis have a higher potency than others. When a drug is said to lose or gain potency under certain circumstances, this means it becomes weaker or stronger depending on those conditions. While the word is usually used in reference to a drug, it can also be used in reference to a disease. The potency of a disease can change when it mutates, for example.
More generally, potency refers to how powerful someone or something is—its strength or effectiveness. It can be used in reference to a person, as in Her potency as a leader is unquestioned, or an action, as in The potency of any apology is immediately weakened by the word “but.”
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What are some other forms related to potency?
- overpotency (noun)
What are some synonyms for potency?
What are some words that share a root or word element with potency?
What are some words that often get used in discussing potency?
How is potency used in real life?
Potency can be used in many different contexts, but it’s most commonly used in relation to how powerful a drug is.
"You don't just take a couple of puffs of cannabis and go psychotic"
Psychiatrist Sir Robin Murray says smoking cannabis is a bit like drinking alcohol – occasional use probably won't harm you, "but if you smoke 5 joints of high-potency cannabis every day" it might. #r4today
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) December 31, 2019
WHO and other experts say no evidence of coronavirus losing potency https://t.co/9KTLQl1kZe pic.twitter.com/NBtZKs8uMJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 1, 2020
An “I’m sorry” eventually loses its potency when used to atone for the same mistake over and over again.
— IG: rivoningo_crystal (@Rivoningo_C) June 1, 2020
Try using potency!
Is potency used correctly in the following sentence?
The potency of the medicine means that it needs to be used very carefully according to the instructions.
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