prominence

UK/ˈpɹɒm.ɪ.nəns/US/ˈpɹɑ.mɪ.nəns/

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #11,881 of 15,258mostly written

Other forms: prominences

Prominence is the state of standing out and being widely noticed. Rise to prominence, give it prominence, sudden prominence.

In newspapers it is a decision rather than a fact, since giving a story prominence means putting it where it will be seen. In hill walking, prominence is a precise measure of how far a summit rises above the ground connecting it to any higher one.

Definitions of prominence

1nounprominenceThe state of standing out and being widely noticed.C1
“The prominence of the church tower makes it visible from miles around.”

prominence is a standing.

Where it comes from

Latin prominentia comes from prominere, to jut out, from pro- plus minere, to project.

Latin
prominentia
French
prominence
English, today
prominence

From obsolete French prominence (compare proéminence), from Latin prominentia.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

prominence in the wild

The prominence of the Adam's apple increases in most men as a secondary sex characteristic during puberty.
Adam's apple
Many British definitions consider a peak with a prominence below 150 metres, as being a top, and not a mountain (e.g. must be a Marilyn).
Lists of mountains in Ireland
A widely used definition of an Irish mountain requires a minimum prominence of 100 metres (e.g. a HuMP), and is the basis for the 100 Highest Irish Mountains.
Lists of mountains in Ireland
Like the corona, solar prominences are only visible to the naked eye during a total solar eclipse.
Solar prominence
Some prominences may give rise to coronal mass ejections.
Solar prominence

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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