prominence

[prom-uh-nuh ns] /ˈprɒm ə nəns/

noun

Also, prominency. the state of being prominent; conspicuousness.

something that is prominent; a projection or protuberance:

a prominence high over a ravine.

Also called solar prominence. Astronomy. an eruption of a flamelike tongue of relatively cool, high-density gas from the solar chromosphere into the corona where it can be seen during a solar eclipse or by observing strong spectral lines in its emission spectrum.

Origin

1590-1600; < Latin prōminentia a jutting out, protuberance. See prominent, -ence

Related forms

nonprominence, noun

overprominence, noun

Synonyms

2. promontory, height, precipice, peak.

Examples from the web for prominence

For starters, telephone calls have slipped in prominence in coaches' arsenal of recruiting tactics.
Their graduates do pretty well, many rising to some sort of prominence.
The site has achieved this prominence largely without paid staff or revenue.
The subject had a right to prominence in his thought.
The prominence given to the church seems to have appealed forcibly to the historian.
Not a few achieve place and prominence in their new surroundings.
Though they have not wholly forgotten the facts which tell the other way, they have not brought them out with enough prominence.
But a curious contradiction to this denunciation of the lawyer is his prominence in official life.
She rose to prominence by adeptly leveraging media appearances.
To the east stand those proud edifices, the iconography of the country's heritage and prominence.

British Dictionary definitions for prominence

prominence

/ˈprɒmɪnəns/

noun

the state or quality of being prominent

something that is prominent, such as a protuberance

relative importance or consequence

(astronomy) an eruption of incandescent gas from the sun's surface that can reach an altitude of several hundred thousand kilometres. Prominences are visible during a total eclipse. When viewed in front of the brighter solar disc, they are called filaments

Word Origin and History for prominence

1590s, "projection," from obsolete French prominence (16c.), from Latin prominentia "a jutting out" (see prominent). Meaning "distinction, conspicuousness" is attested by 1827. As a type of solar phenomenon, from 1862.

prominence in Medicine

prominence prom·i·nence (prŏm'ə-nəns)
n.

The quality or condition of being prominent.
A small projection or protuberance.

prominence in Science

prominence

(prŏm'ə-nəns)
An eruption of tonguelike clouds of glowing ionized gas extending from the Sun's chromosphere and sometimes reaching hundreds of thousands of kilometers into space. When viewed against the solar surface instead of along the edges of its disk, prominences appear as dark, sinuous lines known as filaments. Usually associated with sunspot activity, solar prominences can influence Earth's atmosphere by interfering with electromagnetic activity. ◇ Active prominences erupt suddenly and usually disappear within minutes or hours. Quiescent prominences form more smoothly and can last for several months. See also solar flare.