protuberant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of protuberant
1640–50; < Late Latin prōtūberant- (stem of prōtūberāns ), present participle of prōtūberāre to swell. See pro- 1, tuber 1, -ant
Explanation
If something is protuberant, it juts or bulges out, like Santa Claus's famously protuberant belly. You might find your small dog adorable, with her flat nose and protuberant eyes, while your brother prefers the family cat. Something that's protuberant can also be called a protuberance, and we can trace both words back to the Late Latin protuberare, "to swell or bulge," from the roots pro, "forward," and tuber, "lump or swelling."
Vocabulary lists containing protuberant
Dracula
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Interpreter of Maladies
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A Bend in the River
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
