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).
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, adverb un·sa·li·ent, adjective un·sa·li·ent·ly, adverbWords nearby salient
salicylic,
salicylic acid,
salicylism,
salience,
saliency,
salient,
salientian,
salieri,
saliferous,
salifiable,
salify
Example sentences from the Web for salient
British Dictionary definitions for salient
salient
/ (ˈseɪlɪənt) /
adjective
prominent, conspicuous, or striking
a 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, noun saliently, adverbWord Origin for salient
C16: from Latin
salīre to leap