eminent
adjective
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On Imminent and Eminent
Imminent bears a close resemblance to eminent, and native English-speakers can be excused if they sometimes have to check their spelling. No surprise, really, since the two, despite their very distinct meanings, come from near-identical sources. The Latin minēre means basically “to project, overhang,” and it forms the root of other Latin words. One added the prefix e-, meaning “out from,” to produce eminēre, “to stand out”; another took the prefix im-, meaning “upon,” and became imminēre, “to project.” The difference between “stand out” and “project” is obviously small. Still, even when eminent and imminent first appeared as English words in the 15th and 16th centuries respectively, they were clearly distinct in meaning, imminent’s prefix having strengthened the “overhang” sense of minēre to give the word its frequent suggestion of looming threat.
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Examples of eminent in a Sentence
Michiko Kakutani, New York Times, 20 May 1994
Next year sees the 150th anniversary of the 'invention' of the dinosaurs by the eminent English anatomist and palaeontologist, Richard Owen.
—Nicholas Fraser, Nature, 20 & 27 Dec. 1990
many eminent surgeons are on the hospital's staff
Fairchild Studio, WWD, 19 Dec. 2024
This lab is run by eminent scientist Patty Maes, who is also an award-winning author on the subject.
—John Werner, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
The eminent doctor traveled the world helping to train other medical professionals on the use of databases that track antibiotic resistance, as a means of advancing response to viral outbreaks.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2024
The mayor’s office announced minutes before 8 p.m. that celebration was eminent.
—Staff Report, The Tennessean, 5 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Eminent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eminent. Accessed 28 Dec. 2024.
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eminent
adjective
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