Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A position of great distinction or superiority.
- noun A rise of ground; a hill.
- noun A person of high station or great achievements.
- noun Roman Catholic Church Used with His or Your as a title and form of address for a cardinal.
- noun A projection or protuberance from the surface of a body part, especially a bone.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A part rising or projecting beyond the rest or above the surface; something protuberant or prominent; a projection: as, the eminences on or in an animal body. See phrases below, and eminentia.
- noun Specifically A conspicuous place or situation; a prominent position; especially, a hill or height of ground affording a wide view.
- noun Elevation as regards rank, worth, accomplishment, etc.; exalted station or repute; more generally, a high degree of distinction in any respect, good or bad: as, to attain eminence in a profession, or in the annals of crime.
- noun Supreme degree.
- noun In the Roman Catholic Church, a title of honor attached by a consistorial decree of 1630 exclusively to cardinals and to the master of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem: usually with a capital.
- noun Synonyms Height, elevation.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun That which is eminent or lofty; a high ground or place; a height.
- noun An elevated condition among men; a place or station above men in general, either in rank, office, or celebrity; social or moral loftiness; high rank; distinction; preferment.
- noun A title of honor, especially applied to a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun someone of high rank,
reputation or social station - noun the quality or state of being
eminent - noun
prominence in a particularorder or accumulation;esteem - noun geology an elevated land area or a hill
- noun anatomy a
protuberance
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a protuberance on a bone especially for attachment of a muscle or ligament
- noun high status importance owing to marked superiority
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In Asia today, the source of America's strategic pre-eminence is not just the dominance of the Seventh Fleet but strong regional support for a continued U.S. presence.
The Stakes at the East Asia Summit John Lee 2010
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At the same time, though, they understood that the campaign to achieve and maintain eminence continued well beyond the grave.
Sharon L. Butler: Abstract Expressionist New York: Line and Legacy Sharon L. Butler 2010
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The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms a necessary or integral part of solemn liturgy.
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The other question that seems to dispute pre-eminence is the Irish question.
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This pre-eminence is particularly noticeable at two points of time, in the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries.
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They did not have such a lofty relative position compared with England and Germany, as in the seventeenth century, but the absolute eminence is unquestioned.
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Its pre-eminence is due neither to the greatness of its dimensions nor to the splendour of its materials.
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His career teaches young men that every position of eminence is open before the diligent and the worthy.
Funeral Address Delivered at the Burial of President Lincoln 1865
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The death of the Rev.S. W. Bonney, of Canton, an American missionary of great eminence, is announced.
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Between the glory of Christ and that of the highest creatures, the angels; where the pre-eminence is justly given to the Lord Jesus Christ, and clearly demonstrated to belong to him, ver. 4, to the end.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation) 1721
brtom commented on the word eminence
Satan exalted sat, by merit rais'd 5
To that bad eminence ...
Milton, Paradise Lost, II
December 18, 2006
Logophile77 commented on the word eminence
An homophone (or a near homophone, depending on accent/dialect) is imminence.
December 10, 2017