Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

punctum saliens

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: punc-tum saliens
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

2

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The primordial heart in an embryo, appearing as a throbbing point.

Uncountable

noun

Starting point, source; gist.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The rudiments of the brain, eyes, punctum saliens, spinal cord, six vertebrae, shades of ribs, a dark knob at the cephalic extremity of spine, and an oval expansion at the caudal extremity."
"In him we discover the punctum saliens of a principle which is the master spirit of animal and vegetable motion, the ruling power of chemical science, the governing influence of atmospheric composition, the presiding genius of respiration, […]"

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin punctum saliēns (“leaping point”), attributed to Volcher Coiter or Ulysses Aldrovandi, after a Latin translation of Aristotle's History of Animals (book 6, part 3).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: punctum saliēns

Usage

Uncountable

Synonyms

bowels sum brass tacks core crux essence gist drift guts gravamen heart heart and soul

Questions

What does punctum saliens mean?: The primordial heart in an embryo, appearing as a throbbing point.
Where does punctum saliens come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce punctum saliens

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