salient

 
Pronunciation: /ˈseɪlɪənt/

adjective

  • 1most noticeable or important: it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case
  • prominent; conspicuous: the salient object in my view
  • 2(of an angle) pointing outwards. The opposite of re-entrant.
  • 3 [postpositive] Heraldry (of an animal) standing on its hind legs with the forepaws raised, as if leaping.

noun

  • a piece of land or section of fortification that juts out to form an angle.
  • an outward bulge in a line of military attack or defence: this decisive battle broke the Germans' ability to attack any further into the Kursk salient

Derivatives

salience

noun

saliency

noun

saliently

adverb

Origin:

mid 16th century (as a heraldic term): from Latin salient- 'leaping', from the verb salire. The noun dates from the early 19th century