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Definition of Protuberance - 6 dictionary results

pro⋅tu⋅ber⋅ance

  [proh-too-ber-uhns, -tyoo-, pruh-]
Use Protuberance in a Sentence
–noun
1. the condition, state, or quality of being protuberant.
2. a protuberant part or thing; projection or bulge.
Origin:
1640–50; protuber(ant) + -ance

Related forms:
pro⋅tu⋅ber⋅an⋅tial  [proh-too-buh-ran-shuhl, -tyoo-] , adjective

Synonyms:
2. protrusion, swelling.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pro·tu·ber·ance   (prō-tōō'bər-əns, -tyōō'-, prə-)   
n.  
  1. Something, such as a bulge, knob, or swelling, that protrudes.
  2. The condition of being protuberant.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Protuberance

Pro*tu"ber*ance\, n. [Cf. F. protub['e]rance. See Protuberant.] That which is protuberant swelled or pushed beyond the surrounding or adjacent surface; a swelling or tumor on the body; a prominence; a bunch or knob; an elevation.

Solar protuberances (Astron.), certain rose-colored masses on the limb of the sun which are seen to extend beyond the edge of the moon at the time of a solar eclipse. They may be discovered with the spectroscope on any clear day. Called also solar prominences. See Illust. in Append.

Syn: Projection, Protuberance. protuberance differs from projection, being applied to parts that rise from the surface with a gradual ascent or small angle; whereas a projection may be at a right angle with the surface.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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protuberance 
1646, from L.L. protuberantem (nom. protuberans), prp. of protuberare "to swell, bulge, grow forth," from L. pro- "forward" + tuber "lump, swelling" (see tuber).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: pro·tu·ber·ance
Pronunciation: prO-'t(y)ü-b(&-)r&n(t)s
Function: noun
1 : something that is protuberantprotuberance>
2 : the quality or state of being protuberant
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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protuberance pro·tu·ber·ance (prō-t&oomacr;'bər-əns, -ty&oomacr;'-, prə-)
n.

  1. Something, such as a bulge, knob, or swelling, that protrudes.
  2. The condition of being protuberant.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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