Sticking out or extending beyond a surface or boundary, often in a noticeable or awkward way.
From Latin 'protrudere,' combining 'pro-' (forward) and 'trudere' (to thrust). The word literally means 'to thrust forward' and has been used since the 1600s to describe things that visibly jut out.
In anatomy, 'protruding' is neutral—your eyeballs protrude slightly from your skull by design! But socially, the word often carries a negative connotation, which says something interesting about how we use neutral descriptive words to judge bodies and appearances.
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