What is the meaning of potential in physics

In physics, potential refers to the amount of work done in bringing a unit quantity (like charge or mass) from a reference point to a specific point in a field.

• Electric potential: Work done to bring 1 unit positive charge from infinity to a point in an electric field.
• Gravitational potential: Work done to bring 1 unit mass from infinity to a point in a gravitational field.

It is a scalar quantity and its SI unit is joule per coulomb (volt) for electric potential and joule per kilogram for gravitational potential.