What did Aristotle mean by potential infinity?

In the context of mathematics and philosophy, Aristotle rejected the concept of "actual" infinity, which posits that an infinite set or magnitude can exist as a completed, bounded whole.12

Instead, he proposed the notion of potential infinity. This refers to the capacity for a process—such as counting—to continue without end. In this view, while one can always add another unit or continue a sequence, the process never reaches a state of being "finished" or "actualized" as an infinite totality. By distinguishing between these two concepts, Aristotle sought to avoid the logical paradoxes associated with treating infinite quantities as completed objects, an approach that influenced mathematical thought for over a millennium.12