protuberance
Americannoun
-
the condition, state, or quality of being protuberant.
-
a protuberant part or thing; projection or bulge.
- Synonyms:
- swelling, protrusion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of protuberance
First recorded in 1640–50; protuber(ant) + -ance
Explanation
A protuberance is something that sticks out, like a swelling or a lump or a bunion on your foot. A protuberance doesn’t have to be hideous; it could be your nose on your face or a knot on a tree. The late Latin word prōtūberāre meant "to swell," coming from the prefix pro, which means "forward," and the root word tūber, meaning "swelling." And "root word" is appropriate here, since a tuber is a thick, fleshy part of a root, like a potato. And that should help you remember how to spell the word protuberance. Don't you love it when a word's meaning and its spelling work together?
Vocabulary lists containing protuberance
Ethan Frome
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On the Origin of Species
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Truly Devious
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What’s more, he now possesses a fleshy protuberance on his forehead and a tentacle as long as his arm dangling from his chest.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2021
That explained the protuberance on its snout, which resembled a tiny battering ram.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 24, 2021
This so-called larchrymal saber is a bony protuberance just under their eye.
From National Geographic ● May 5, 2018
It’s a pale, translucent, fleshy protuberance the size of a soccer ball that seems to glow in the dripping shade, its complicated folds an unnerving cross between boiled tripe and a sea sponge.
From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2015
She thought she could see the white protuberance of bone.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
