The German philosopher Martin Heidegger argued that man is a creature directed primarily towards the future. Psychologists say that such an attitude is neurotic, that is, one must live, if possible, with the present and not let the ghosts of the future darken the present day. We don’t know who is right and who is not, but we know that today we are analyzing the adjective “potential” in detail, this should be interesting.
The popular word is actually already aged
Everyone can see the craze for modernity in English. Even one very famous person in the Internet space said that she knows many languages, but the investments were justified only in English. But those who study other foreign languages, do not be sad, because reality is changing very quickly. Today, English is on horseback, and tomorrow is Chinese or French. Speaking of the latter. It was from him that the word “potential” came to us, and this happened quite a while ago. Dictionaries speak of the 19th century. In French, there is the concept of potentiel, which goes back to the Latin potentialis, and potens, in turn, is "mighty."
Now, we think, a lot has cleared up and not only regarding the object of study. For example, when you are told something about potentiality, then you simply need to translate such expressions with the well-known word "maybe." But, as you know, opportunity is not reality, the opposite is also true. Not to say that the adjective “potential” hides the secrets (this would be an exaggeration), but we still learned something about our reality. Like any story, the history of the language deepens our understanding of what is happening around.
Value
We love the etymological dictionary, but still not the same as the explanatory dictionary. Therefore, we turn to the latter. It is necessary to protect historical memory, but it is even more important to be in a trend, that is, understand and operate with the authentic, modern meaning of the word “potential”:
- Same as potential.
- Existing in potency, possible.
There are no discrepancies between the two dictionaries. In order not to leave the reader ignorant of the first meaning, we will also reveal the meaning of the word “potential”:
- The physical quantity that characterizes the force field at a given point.
- The degree of power, the totality of opportunities.
The first value is direct, the second is figurative. As a rule, in everyday speech they do not remember physical quantity. Under the potential understand the hidden opportunities of the region, industry or person.
Measuring potential is especially sinful in sports. As soon as any talent appears, they immediately say: “Future Messi!” Previously, of course, there was Maradona, but now the generation of those who watched the game of the scandalous Argentine is gradually leaving. He was replaced by a quiet Argentine, becoming during his lifetime almost an icon.
But, of course, the adjective “potential” is an instrument not only of journalists. A person generally likes to put forward hypotheses, build castles in the air, the main thing here is not to get involved. Heidegger may be right: a man is bored in the present, his soul is directed to the future. However, we were distracted.
Synonyms
Last but not least, are synonyms for the word “potential”.
- possible;
- likely;
- hidden;
- valid
- supposed;
Probably, there could have been more replacements, but it seems to us that five is a good number. We think that the reader has grasped the main idea and, if he needs to, he himself will easily continue this synonymous series.