salient

[ sey-lee-uhnt, seyl-yuhnt ]
See synonyms for: salientsalients on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. prominent or conspicuous: salient traits.

  2. projecting or pointing outward: a salient angle.

  1. leaping or jumping: a salient animal.

  2. Heraldry. (of a beast) represented as leaping: a lion salient.

noun
  1. a salient angle or part, as the central outward-projecting angle of a bastion or an outward projection in a battle line.

  2. 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

1
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin salient-, stem of saliēns “jumping,” present participle of salīre “to spring, jump”

Other words for salient

Opposites for salient

Other words from salient

  • sa·li·ent·ly, adverb
  • un·sa·li·ent, adjective
  • un·sa·li·ent·ly, adverb

Words Nearby salient

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use salient in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for salient

salient

/ (ˈseɪlɪənt) /


adjective
  1. prominent, conspicuous, or striking: a salient feature

  2. (esp in fortifications) projecting outwards at an angle of less than 180°: Compare re-entrant (def. 1)

  1. geometry (of an angle) pointing outwards from a polygon and hence less than 180°: Compare re-entrant (def. 2)

  2. (esp of animals) leaping

noun
  1. military a projection of the forward line into enemy-held territory

  2. a salient angle

Origin of salient

1
C16: from Latin salīre to leap

Derived forms of salient

  • salience or saliency, noun
  • saliently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012