Salient Definition
sālē-ənt, sālyənt
adjective
Leaping, jumping, or capering.
Webster's New World
Gushing or jetting forth.
Webster's New World
Standing out from the rest; noticeable; conspicuous; prominent.
Webster's New World
Pointing outward; jutting or projecting, as an angle.
Webster's New World
Most important or notable.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
- re-entrant
- unnoticeable
- inconspicuous
- unimportant
noun
The part of a battle line, trench, fort, etc. which projects farthest toward the enemy.
Webster's New World
A salient angle, part, etc.
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Salient
Noun
Singular:
salient
Plural:
salientsOrigin of Salient
-
The heraldic sense "leaping" and the sense "projecting outward" are from Latin saliens, from saliō (“leap, spring"). The senses "prominent" and "pertinent" are relatively recently from the phrase "salient point", which is from the Latin punctum saliens, a translation of Aristotle's term for the embryonal heart visible in (opened) eggs, which he thought seemed to move already. Compare the German calque der springende Punkt.
From Wiktionary
-
Latin saliēns salient- present participle of salīre to leap sel- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Related Articles
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to salient using the buttons below.