salient

English

WOTD – 13 April 2006

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈseɪljənt/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈseɪ.ljənt/, /ˈseɪ.li.ənt/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Hyphenation: sa‧lient

Adjective

salient (comparative more salient, superlative most salient)

  1. Worthy of note; pertinent or relevant.
    The article is not exhaustive, but it covers the salient points pretty well.
  2. Prominent; conspicuous.
    • Bancroft
      He [Grenville] had neither salient traits, nor general comprehensiveness of mind.
  3. (heraldry, usually of a quadruped) Depicted in a leaping posture.
    a lion salient
  4. (often military) Projecting outwards, pointing outwards.
    a salient angle
  5. (obsolete) Moving by leaps or springs; jumping.
    • Sir Thomas Browne
      frogs and salient animals
  6. (obsolete) Shooting or springing out; projecting.
    • Burke
      He had in himself a salient, living spring of generous and manly action.

Quotations

1878 1898 1936
ME « 15th c. 16th c. 17th c. 18th c. 19th c. 20th c. 21st c.
  • 1878, Thomas Hardy, The Return of the Native, Book 2, chapter 5:
    With nearer approach these fragmentary sounds became pieced together, and were found to be the salient points of the tune called "Nancy's Fancy."
  • 1898, H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds Book2, chapter 2:
    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.
  • 1936, H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Over Innsmouth:
    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.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

  • salient point

Translations

Noun

salient (plural salients)

  1. (military) an outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense

Derived terms

  • salient pole

Translations

Anagrams

Latin

Verb

salient

  1. third-person plural future active indicative of saliō
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