Literary notes about Potent (AI summary)
In literature, “potent” is used to convey a sense of overwhelming force or influence that can shape both tangible and intangible realms. Authors invoke it to describe the measurable power of physical substances, like medicinal distillations or lethal poisons [1, 2, 3], while also using it metaphorically to capture the compelling impact of personal virtue, destiny, or moral right [4, 5, 6, 7]. At times, it illustrates the commanding sway of authority or charismatic figures, imbuing narrative moments with an aura of irresistible persuasion or even supernatural charm [8, 9, 10, 11]. Its application extends to specialized fields such as heraldry, where “potent” signifies particular attributes or designs, demonstrating the word's rich versatility in literature [12, 13, 14].
- It is said that he distils these plants into medicines that are as potent as a charm.
— from Mosses from an old manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Beef juice is highly rated by physicians in the prevention of infantile scurvy, but it is probably far less potent than vegetables or fruit juices.
— from Scurvy, Past and Present by Alfred F. Hess - O, I die, Horatio; The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit; 81 The rest is silence.
— from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare - There is no human influence so potent for good as that which goes out from an upright life.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Whence it appears, how potent is the wise man, and how much he surpasses the ignorant man, who is driven only by his lusts.
— from Ethics by Benedictus de Spinoza - The influence of moral right is so potent, that it eclipses the specious appearance of expediency.
— from De Officiis by Marcus Tullius Cicero - 'Come on, men!' said Miss Abbey; for so potent was she with her subjects that even then the bearers awaited her permission.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - Moreover, the religious growth of millions of men, even though they be slaves, cannot be without potent influence upon their contemporaries.
— from The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois - And is there no potent and exhilarating cordial in a certainty like this?
— from The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Appeal to the things that man holds dear is another potent form of persuasion.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - The name Potent is the old English word for a crutch or walking-staff.
— from A Complete Guide to Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies - Potent , and its less common variant Counter Potent , are usually ranked in British heraldic works as separate furs.
— from A Complete Guide to Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies - To all intents and purposes British heraldry now or hitherto has only known vair and potent.
— from A Complete Guide to Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
