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prominent

Etymology and origin of the English word prominent

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1440
Borrowed from
Latin prominens
Ultimate origin
Latin (promineo)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈprɒm.ɪ.nənt/, US /ˈprɑː.mə.nənt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin prōminēns (“jutting out”) (accusative prōminentem),[2][3][4] the present participle of prōminēre (“to jut or stand out, overhang”),[2][5] from prō “forward” (see pro-) and -minēre “to project”,[2][3] which is related to mōns “hill” (see mount),[3][5][4] from the PIE root Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to project”).[2] Compare eminent.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Projecting, jutting out: probably 1440, in a translation of Palladius, in Barnhart; the mid-15th century in Etymonline; 1545 in the OED.[3][2][7]

Semantic evolution

Of features, conspicuous or striking, it is from 1759,[2][3][7] and of persons, notable or leading, from 1849.[2][3][7] The noun, a prominent person, is from 1608, now North American.[7] Moths of the genus Notodonta are called prominents from 1819, from a hump on the back of the larva.[7][5] Prominence meant a projection in 1598, in Florio, and distinction from 1828.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1440 – projecting.[3]
  • 1598 – prominence, a projection.[3]
  • 1759 – conspicuous.[2][7]
  • 1819 – a prominent moth.[7]
  • 1849 – of persons, notable.[2][7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Important or well known; eminent: a prominent lawyer.
  2. Easily noticed; conspicuous.
  3. Projecting or sticking out: a prominent nose.

Word family

  • prominently
  • overprominent

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Prominent.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/prominent. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·