Prominent means standing out where everyone can see it. A prominent position, a prominent role, prominently displayed.
Of a physical thing it means projecting or noticeable: a prominent nose, a prominent hill. Of a person it means important and well known: a prominent lawyer, prominent figures. Prominently displayed is a fixed phrase in regulations about signs and notices. Note prominence, which means both the quality and, in astronomy, a loop of gas on the sun's edge; and preeminent, which is stronger.
1adjectiveprominentStanding out where everyone can see it.
“The castle stands in a prominent position on top of the hill.”
2adjectiveimportantImportant and well known.
“She is a prominent lawyer who often appears on television.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
prominent is a quality of standing out.
Latin prominens comes from prominere, to jut out — pro-, forward, plus minere, to project, the same root as eminent and imminent. Something prominent literally sticks out.
Proto-Indo-European
*per-
Latin
prōminēns
French
prominent
English, today
prominent
Built from
From obsolete French prominent (compare proéminent), from Latin prōminēns, present active participle of prōmineō (“jut out, to project”), from prō (“before, forward”) + mineō (in compounds, “jut, project”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA