potentialpotential

Potential comes from Late Latin potentialis ‘force, power’, and goes back to Latin potens.

1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpotens¹‘powerful’
2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpotentia¹‘power’
3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpotentialis¹‘force’
4. Englishearliest quotation 1603potential¹

1. ¹ Wiktionary, English potential
2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, William Shakespeare: “And hath, in his effect, a voice potential”.