Definition of SALIENT

salient

Meanings

Plural: salients

Noun

  • (military) the part of the line of battle that projects closest to the enemy
  • An outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Adjective Satellite

  • having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    • "salient traits"
  • represented as leaping (rampant but leaning forward)

Adjective

  • (of angles) pointing outward at an angle of less than 180 degrees

Adj

  • Worthy of note; pertinent or relevant.
  • Prominent; conspicuous.
  • Depicted in a leaping posture.
  • Projecting outwards, pointing outwards.
  • Moving by leaps or springs; jumping.
  • Shooting or springing out; projecting.
  • Denoting any angle less than two right angles.

Origin / 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.

Synonyms

applicable, apposite, apt, felicitous, germane, in point, material, on point, on-topic, outstanding, pertinent, prominent, relevant, salient, spectacular, striking, to the point

Antonyms

obscure, re-entrant, recess, trivial

Scrabble Score: 7

salient is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
salient is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
salient is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

salient is a valid Words With Friends word