In physics, a potential is a mathematical description of the energy stored in a field. The electrical potential describes the distribution of energy in the electric field and is equal to the energy required to move a small test charge to a specific point in the field from an arbitrarily defined reference point. Lines that connect points with the same potential are called equipotentials; movement of charges along equipotentials does not require energy.
The reference point to calibrate the potential is arbitrary. In practice this is of no great consequence because it is usually the difference in the potential between points that matters.
The potential at a given point is independent of the path taken by the test charge unless the field itself changes during the time it takes the charge to traverse the distance.