salient
[ sey-lee-uhnt, seyl-yuhnt ]
/ ˈseɪ li ənt, ˈseɪl yənt /
adjective
prominent or conspicuous: salient traits.
projecting or pointing outward: a salient angle.
leaping or jumping: a salient animal.
Heraldry. (of a beast) represented as leaping: a lion salient.
noun
a salient angle or part, as the central outward-projecting angle of a bastion or an outward projection in a battle line.
Physical Geography. a landform that extends out beyond its surroundings, as a spur projecting from the side of a mountain.Compare reentrant(def 4).
QUIZZES
TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!
Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!
Question 1 of 10
Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.
Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin of salient
1555–65; < Latin salient- (stem of saliēns, present participle of salīre to spring, jump), equivalent to sali- verb stem + -ent- -ent
OTHER WORDS FROM salient
sa·li·ent·ly, adverbun·sa·li·ent, adjectiveun·sa·li·ent·ly, adverbWords nearby salient
salicylic, salicylic acid, salicylism, salience, saliency, salient, salientian, salieri, saliferous, salifiable, salify
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for salient
British Dictionary definitions for salient
salient
/ (ˈseɪlɪənt) /
adjective
prominent, conspicuous, or strikinga salient feature
(esp in fortifications) projecting outwards at an angle of less than 180°Compare re-entrant (def. 1)
geometry (of an angle) pointing outwards from a polygon and hence less than 180°Compare re-entrant (def. 2)
(esp of animals) leaping
noun
military a projection of the forward line into enemy-held territory
a salient angle
Derived forms of salient
salience or saliency, nounsaliently, adverbWord Origin for salient
C16: from Latin salīre to leap
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012