promontory
/ˈpɹɑməntɔɹi/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.72 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A high point of land extending into a body of water, headland; cliff.
noun
A projecting part of the body.
noun
A projecting part of the body.
name
A location in Box Elder County, Utah, United States, where the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, and the golden spike ceremony was held.
Example Sentences
- "Leaving behind us the town at the bottom of its deep bay, we set out to explore a bluff-headed parallelogramical promontory, bounded by Thurso Bay on the one hand, and Murkle Bay on the other, and which presents to the open sea, in the space that stretches between, an undulating line of iron-bound coast, exposed to the roll of the northern ocean."
- "South of Hang-chou Wan (Bay) below Shanghai, the China coastline changes from a smooth, flat topography to one of irregular, rocky promontories and numerous islands. Foochow, the Fugiu of Marco Polo, dates from the seventh century. Offshore the Ma-tsu Lieh-tao (Matsu and Pei-kan, or Changshu Islands) are heavily fortified Nationalist strongholds."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin prōmontōrium, from prōmineō, from prō- + *mineō (“to project or jut”, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stand out”)) + -tōrium (“place”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɹɑməntɔɹi/
- British English: /ˈpɹɒm.ən.tɹi/