potency

/ˈpoʊtnsi/

Other forms: potencies

Use the noun potency when you're talking about the strength of something. You could refer to the potency of a drug or the potency of a political leader.

Potency is an official measurement in pharmacology, or the science of prescribing drugs. It's also useful for describing a person's power or authority over others. The Latin root word is potentia, or "power," and its origin goes all the way back to the Sanskrit word for "master or husband," patih. The word potency has historically been associated with men, but it's fine to use it to describe a woman's power too.

Definitions of potency

1. noun

   the power or right to give orders or make decisions
   “a place of potency in the state”

   synonyms: authorisation, authority, authorization, dominance, say-so

   types:

   power of appointment

   authority given (in a will or deed) by a donor to a donee to appoint the beneficiaries of the donor's property

   carte blanche

   complete freedom or authority to act

   command

   the power or authority to command

   imperium

   supreme authority; absolute dominion

   lordship

   the authority of a lord

   muscle

   authority or power or force (especially when used in a coercive way)

   sovereignty

   the authority of a state to govern another state

   type of:

   control

   power to direct or determine
2. noun

   capacity to produce strong physiological or chemical effects
   “the toxin's potency”

   synonyms: effectiveness, strength

   type of:

   power, powerfulness

   possession of controlling influence
3. noun

   the state of being potent; a male's capacity to have sexual intercourse
   synonyms: potence

   antonyms:

   impotency

   an inability (usually of the male animal) to copulate

   type of:

   physical condition, physiological condition, physiological state

   the condition or state of the body or bodily functions
4. noun

   the inherent capacity for coming into being
   synonyms: potential, potentiality

   types:

   latency

   the state of being not yet evident or active

   chance, prospect

   the possibility of future success

   type of:

   possibility, possibleness

   capability of existing or happening or being true