As far the definition goes emf of electromotive force is basically potential difference. It even has dimensions of potential. Then why is it called a force?
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International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching quotes the English translation of Guisasola et al. (2008), which discusses some of the early history of the EMF. The man who coined the term "electromotive force" was Alessandro Volta, who stated that there was a force separating the charges in current flowing in a closed circuit. He then named this "force"; as a result, his last name is forever attached to the EMF as its unit, the volt.
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Electromotive force is not a mechanical force, but a driving electrical force for charges or the potential energy per unit charge stored in the electrical source. It can be seen as the work that can be done by the source to drive off electrons in a circuit, provided there is no internal resistance of the source. This potential is the gradient of the electrostatic force between the electrodes separated by a finite distance within the battery. Otherwise, the work is done by some force which drives the electrons in a circuit. This is why sometimes it is referred to as a "force", but what we mean here is the energy equivalent of the electrical force.
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