in the schools, is used to denote and distinguish a kind of qualities, which are supposed to exist in the body in potentia only; by which they are capable in some measure of affecting and impressing on us the ideas of such qualities, though not actually inherent in themselves; in which sense we say, potential heat, potential cold, &c.

POTENTIAL CAUTERY, in medicine, denotes the consuming, or reducing to an echar, any part of the human body by a caustic alkaline or metallic salt, &c., instead of a red-hot iron, which last is called the actual cautery.

in grammar, an epithet applied to one of the moods of verbs. The potential is the same in form with the subjunctive, and is, according to Ruddiman, implied in that mood, for which reason that grammarian rejects it; but others will have it to differ from the subjunctive in this, that it always implies in it either posseum, volo, or debo. It is sometimes called the permissive mood, because it often implies a permission or concession to do a thing. See Grammar, n° 43.