POTATO

n. Poat-at'o. Fr., pom me de terre. Ger., Kartoffel. It., patata, porno di terre. Sp., papa [Mex. Ph.]. The tuber of Solanum tuberosum; also the plant itself. [B, 5, 19 (a, 35).] Canada p. See HELIANTHUS tuberosus. Giant sweet p. See IPOMCEA digit at a.Goa, p. See under DIOSCOREA aculenta. Indian p., Pea p. The Apios tuberosa or its tuber. [B. 293 (a, 35).] P. brandy. Ger., Kartoffelbranntwein. A spirit distilled from p'es mixed with barley-malt. [B, 270 (a, 50).] P. oil. See Amyl ALCOHOL. P. poultice. See Cataplasme de pficuLE. P. -spirit oil. See Amyl ALCOHOL. Spanish p., Sweet p. The Ipomcea batatas or its tuberous root. [B, 19, 275 (a, 35).] Wild p. See IPOMCEA pandurata. POTENTIAL,, adj. Pot-e2n'sh'l. From potent i a, power. Fr., potentiel. Ger., potent i ell. 1. Of a remedy, not acting immediately or directly. See P. CAUTERY. 2. As a n., the algebraic sum of the amount of work which may be obtained at any point from the mutual repulsion of the electricities in a system until they are at an infinite distance apart and the amount obtained from a unit quantity of positive electricity placed at that point. Thus the sign is the same as that of the electrification of the system to which the p. is due. This energy becomes kinetic as the electricities are Drought to approach one another, [a, 49. | The ability of an electrified body to do work by virtue of its electrification; hence the degree of its electrification as compared with some other body with which it is connected in the same circuit, and especially as compared with the earth. Differences in p. are the cause of electric currents: for, whenever two bodies differing in p. are connected by a conductor, a current pa es from the body having the higher p. to the one having a lower p. until the p's are equalized. [B.] Electric p. See P. (3d def.). Static p. The difference in electric level between the earth and a body charged with static electricity. [B.] [s. 323]