A power or force that opposes or balances another power, creating an equal but opposite effect.
From counter- (against) + potence (from Latin potentia, meaning power or ability). The term emerged in philosophical and political discourse to describe competing forces of equal strength.
This word appears frequently in physics and philosophy—it's the basis for Newton's Third Law (every action has an equal and opposite reaction). Medieval philosophers used potence to discuss God's power, but counterpotence became crucial in Enlightenment thinking about checks and balances in government.
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