Potentialise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To give something greater strength, force or effectiveness, especially by adding an active ingredient or energy to it
2. To render a substance or influence more powerful than it was before, often through a deliberate process
3. To increase the potency of something so that it acts with greater force or influence than previously

Etymology: The root "potential" goes back to the Latin "potentia," meaning power or ability, which derives from "posse," to be able. Something potential is therefore something that could be rather than something already is. Since English potential is a noun and adjective, the verb builds on that idea of latent capacity. The ending "-ise" is a verb-forming suffix. It reached English through French from the Greek "-izein," which turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning to make or treat something in a certain way. Attaching it to "potential" yields a verb meaning to bring a latent capacity into actual being. The spelling is British; the American equivalent is "potentialize."

Synonyms: potentialize, actualize, enable