What is the process called when a capacitor loses a charge causing a potential difference across its plates?

The process when a capacitor loses its charge and results in a change in potential difference across its plates is known as discharging. During discharging, the stored electrical energy in the capacitor is released, allowing the current to flow until the voltage across the plates decreases to zero. This occurs because the capacitor has been connected to a circuit that enables the flow of electrons away from the plates, effectively neutralizing the stored electric field.

Charging, on the other hand, refers to the process of accumulating electric charge on the plates of a capacitor, which increases the potential difference across them. Recharging would imply that the capacitor is being charged again after having been discharged, which is a different process entirely. Capacitance refers to the ability of a capacitor to store charge per unit voltage and is not directly related to the process of losing charge. Thus, the term that accurately describes the loss of charge is discharging.