salient
[ sey-lee-uhnt, seyl-yuhnt ]
/ ˈseɪ li ənt, ˈseɪl yənt /
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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).
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Origin 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, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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
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