Outstanding importance, reputation, or status; being notably superior or respected.
From Latin 'eminens' meaning 'projecting out' or 'standing out,' combining 'e-' (out) with 'minere' (to project). The meaning evolved to describe those who stand out from the crowd.
A cardinal in the Catholic Church is called 'Your Eminence'—literally treating them as people who 'stand out'—which shows how language crystallizes social hierarchy into titles.
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