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# potency

«potency» in Mova's school dictionary: **How strong or powerful something is, especially a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (potency, uncountable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) How strong or powerful something is, especially a medicine, drug, poison or chemical. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/#m1)

2) (formal) Power or influence: the potency of an idea. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science and health lessons: the potency of a medicine tells how strong its effect is, which is why doses must be measured carefully. In history or English, the «potency» of a speech or symbol means its power to move people.

### examples

- The potency of the medicine means you only need a small dose. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/#x1)
- Some medicines lose their potency after their expiry date. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/#x2)
- The snake's venom has great potency. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/#x3)
- The speech showed the potency of words. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/#x4)
- Scientists tested the potency of the new vaccine. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/#x5)
- Strong sunlight can reduce the potency of vitamins. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/#x6)

### note

Uncountable. Adjective: potent. Safety: never take more of a medicine than the label or doctor says; a potent medicine can be dangerous in large amounts.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «potency» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/potency/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.