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salient

adj
/ˈseɪ.li.ənt/CA/ˈsæɪ.li.ənt/

Etymology

The heraldic sense “leaping” and the sense “projecting outward” are borrowed from Latin salientem, the accusative form of saliēns (“springing, leaping”), present participle of saliō (“leap, spring”, verb). The senses “prominent” and “pertinent” are relatively recent, and derive from the phrase salient point, which is a calque of the Latin punctum saliēns, a translation of Aristotle's term for the embryonal heart visible in (opened) eggs, which he thought seemed to move already. Compare also the German calque der springende Punkt.

  1. borrowed from salientem

Definitions

  1. Worthy of note

    Worthy of note; pertinent or relevant.

    • The article is not exhaustive, but it covers the salient points pretty well.
    • With nearer approach these fragmentary sounds became pieced together, and were found to be the salient points of the tune called "Nancy's Fancy."
    • The last salient point in which the systems of these creatures differed from ours was in what one might have thought a very trivial particular.

  2. Prominent

    Prominent; conspicuous.

    • Warning me that many of the street signs were down, the youth drew for my benefit a rough but ample and painstaking sketch map of the town's salient features.
    • He [Grenville] had neither salient traits, nor general comprehensiveness of mind.
    • Professionally published dictionaries do not seem to have extended coverage beyond the most frequent and salient items.

  3. Depicted in a leaping posture.

    • a lion salient
  4. ›+ 7 more definitions

    1. Projecting outwards, pointing outwards.

      • a salient angle

    2. Moving by leaps or springs

      Moving by leaps or springs; jumping.

      • frogs and salient animals

    3. Shooting or springing out

      Shooting or springing out; projecting.

      • He had in himſelf a ſalient, living ſpring of generous and manly action.

    4. Denoting any angle less than two right angles.

    5. An outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense.

      • On April 26 the First Division had gone into the line in the Montdidier salient on the Picardy battlefront.
      • The battlefronts were often no more than a few hundred yards wide, and the salients never more than a few miles deep.

    6. A protrusion of the administrative borders of a geopolitical entity, such as a…

      A protrusion of the administrative borders of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state into another geopolitical entity, generally of the same administrative level.

    7. An overall-convex, protruding section of a sinuous fold and thrust belt, thrust sheet, or…

      An overall-convex, protruding section of a sinuous fold and thrust belt, thrust sheet, or a single thrust fault, caused by one or more of: deformation (folding and faulting) of strata and geologic structures during orogenesis, differences in the angle of critical taper during orogenesis, or differing erosional level of the present geomorphological surface.

The neighborhood

Derived

countersalient, hypersalient, isosalient, nonsalient, saliently, salient point, thermosalient, unsalient, salient pole

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for salient. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA