Meaning

adjective having great influence

adjective having or wielding force or authority

adjective having a strong physiological or chemical effect; ; ; ,

originFrom 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”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0