different between potent vs puissant

English

Etymology

From Middle English potent, borrowed from Latin potens, potentis (“powerful, strong, potent”), present participle of posse (“to be able”), from potis (“able, powerful, originally a lord, master”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??t(?)nt/
• (General American) enPR: p?t?nt IPA^(key): /?po?t(?)nt/, [?p?o???n?t], [-n??]
• Rhymes: -??t?nt
• Hyphenation: po?tent

Adjective

potent (comparative more potent, superlative most potent)

1. Possessing strength.

   • Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence.

2. Powerfully effective.

3. Having a sharp or offensive taste.
4. (of a male) Able to procreate.
5. Very powerful or effective.

Translations

Noun

potent (plural potents)

1. (obsolete) A prince; a potentate.
2. (obsolete) A staff or crutch.
3. (heraldry) A heraldic fur formed by a regular tessellation of blue and white T shapes.

Antonyms

• impotent
• (heraldry): counterpotent

Derived terms

• idempotent
• nilpotent
• omnipotent
• pluripotent
• unipotent
• ventripotent
• equipotent

Related terms

• potence
• potency
• potentate
• potential
• potentiality
• potentiate
• potenty, potente

Further reading

• potent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• potent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• nettop, top ten

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin potens, potentem.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /po?tent/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /pu?ten/

Adjective

potent (masculine and feminine plural potents)

1. powerful
2. potent (capable of sexual intercourse)

Further reading

• “potent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Dutch

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin potens. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /po??t?nt/
• Hyphenation: po?tent
• Rhymes: -?nt

Adjective

potent (not comparable)

1. (of males) capable of procreation, potent

Inflection

Antonyms

• impotent

Related terms

• potentaat
• potentiaal
• potentie
• potentieel

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /po?t?nt/

Adjective

potent (comparative potenter, superlative am potentsten)

1. potent

Declension

Derived terms

• impotent
• präpotent

Latin

Verb

p?tent

1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of p?t?

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin potens, potentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /po?tent/

Adjective

potent m or n (feminine singular potent?, masculine plural poten?i, feminine and neuter plural potente)

1. (literary) potent, strong, vigorous, virile

Declension

Related terms

• puternic
• poten??
• putin??
• putea
• putere

Swedish

Adjective

potent

1. potent, being effective in small quantities.

Declension

Related terms

• potens
• potential

English

Etymology

From Middle English puissaunt, from Middle French puissant, poissant, Anglo-Norman puissant, Old French pussant, et al., present participle of pooir (“to be able”), ultimately from Latin posse (“be able”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?pw?s(?)nt/, /?pju??s(?)nt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?pju?s?nt/, /?pw?s?nt/

Adjective

puissant (comparative more puissant, superlative most puissant)

1. (archaic or literary) Powerful, mighty, having authority.
   • 1599 — William Shakespeare, Hen V i 2

     Awake remembrance of these valiant dead, / And with your puissant arm renew their feats.

   • 1667 — John Milton, Paradise Lost Book I

     For who can yet believe, though after loss,
     That all these puissant legions, whose exile
     Hath emptied Heaven, shall fail to re-ascend,
     Self-raised, and repossess their native seat?

   • I cried in a loud voice, "Long live the most puissant king of Lilliput!"

   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 24

     How comes all this, if there be not something puissant in whaling?

   • 1961 - Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

     In fact the titles could be anything-or (with some of the most puissant) no title at all...

Related terms

• puissance

Translations

Anagrams

• snapsuit, uitspans

French

Etymology

Old present participle of the verb pouvoir (formed with the stem puis-; compare the modern form pouvant), from Old French puissant, pussant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p?i.s??/

Adjective

puissant (feminine singular puissante, masculine plural puissants, feminine plural puissantes)

1. powerful; mighty

Related terms

• pouvoir
• puissance

Further reading

• “puissant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Alternative forms

• poissant
• pussant

Etymology

From the present participle of pooir, povoir, formed with the stem puis- in conjugated forms of the verb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pui?.?sant/

Adjective

puissant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular puissant or puissante)

1. powerful; mighty

Declension

Related terms

• puissance

Descendants

• ? English: puissant
• Middle French: puissant
  • French: puissant