Meanings
nounaction potential (plural action potentials)
plural action potentials
- medicineA short-term change in the electrical potential that travels along a cell such as a nerve or muscle fiber.First known use 20th c.
Even some single-celled organisms have action potentials.
2016, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Other Minds, William Collins, published 2018, page 23
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 動作電位 /动作电位
- 動作電位 /动作电位 (dòngzuò diànwèi)electrical potential
Czech akční potenciál
- akční potenciálelectrical potential
Finnish toimintapotentiaali
- toimintapotentiaalielectrical potential
German Aktionspotential
- Aktionspotentialelectrical potential
Greek δυναμικό ενέργειας
- δυναμικό ενέργειας (dynamikó enérgeias)electrical potential
Hungarian akciós potenciál
- akciós potenciálelectrical potential
Indonesian potensial aksi
- potensial aksielectrical potential
Japanese 活動電位
- 活動電位 (katsudōden'i)electrical potential
Malay keupayaan tindakan
- keupayaan tindakanelectrical potential
Russian и́мпульс
- и́мпульс (ímpulʹs)electrical potential
Swedish aktionspotential
- aktionspotentialelectrical potential
Cite this entry
APA
action potential. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20potential
MLA
“action potential.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20potential. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “action potential,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20potential.
Source: action potential on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.