Coloradans May Have Trouble with This Word

       I heard a not uncommon mispronunciation today on radio:  [PAHT-a-ble] for [POHT-a-ble] with the word "potable."  No source I've looked up mentions the "ah" pronunciation as even an alternate choice.

       The word comes from Latin potare meaning "to drink," and hence "drinkable."  One would suppose the "ah" choice may come from seeing those first three letters and thinking pot like "pots and pans" or some other association with "pot."  And from not having heard it pronounced [POHT-a-ble] by others.