# potence

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Power or strength; potency.
2. A stud that acts as a support of a pivot in a watch or clock.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French potence (“power, a crutch”), from Latin potentia (“power, in Medieval Latin also crutch”), from potens (“powerful”); see potent.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/potence