Potentiates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To increase the effectiveness or strength of a factor, often in a biochemical context
2. To augment the impact or influence of a substance or mechanism, enhancing its overall activity
3. Enhances the strength or efficiency of something, especially in chemical or biological reactions

Etymology: "Potentiates" is the third-person singular form of "potentiate", so the verb itself is the thing to explain. It is built from "potent", meaning powerful or effective, with the connecting element "-i-" and the verb-forming suffix "-ate". The verb is modelled on German "potenzieren", a term that carried the same sense of raising something to a higher power or intensity, so the English coinage follows that pattern rather than arising from an older English tradition. The root "potent" came into English from Latin "potens", the present participle of "posse", to be able, which is also the source of "possible". So the word ultimately rests on a simple idea of being able to do something, which the modern verb sharpens into a measurable increase in strength. The sense of "to make more effective" is what gives the word its use in biochemistry, where one substance is said to intensify the action of another.

Synonyms: enhances, amplifies, increases, boosts, improves

Antonyms: diminishes, reduces, weakens