Most noticeable, important, or prominent; standing out conspicuously.
From Latin 'saliens' meaning 'leaping,' from 'salire' (to leap). Originally used in military contexts to describe parts of fortifications that projected outward, the meaning evolved to describe anything that 'leaps out' at you.
Picture a salmon leaping upstream—it's the most salient (noticeable) thing in the river. Both 'salient' and 'salmon' come from the same Latin root meaning 'to leap.'
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