Talk:potent
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Rfv-sense "Having a sharp or offensive taste." Other dictionaries don't seem to have this and it's not clear how this would be distinguished from the more usual sense of "potent" as applied to things like coffee or alcohol or medicine. - -sche (discuss) 18:09, 15 January 2024 (UTC)
- Not in OED. Equinox ◑ 05:22, 16 January 2024 (UTC)
- It is certainly used in an unfavourable sense for smell. About the durian: “
This melon-sized spiky fruit has a potent smell but is widely consumed by families in Southeast Asia. The scent might be offensive, but the taste seems to be worth it.
[1] Or: “The durian (thurian), a green, spiky fruit from an enormous tree, has such a potent smell that it has been banned from public places.
”[2] One may argue, though, that this is a euphemistic application of the (by itself neutral) sense “powerful”. --Lambiam 14:23, 17 January 2024 (UTC)- Just "powerful" (+context clues to signal negativity) is indeed how I would interpret that, since I can equally find people directly saying the smell of durian is "powerful", or "strong", e.g. google:"durian" "a powerful smell", google:"durian" "has a strong smell". - -sche (discuss) 08:20, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
- Failed as not attested as something distinct from "powerful". - -sche (discuss) 04:10, 9 March 2024 (UTC)