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promontory

promontory

4 8.1
A high piece of land that sticks out into the sea
  • noun
  • /ˈprɒməntɔːri/
: promontorio
  • Thou rememberest, since once I sat upon a promontory and heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath that the rude sea grew civil at her song.
  • promontory group

Examples

  • And indeed, it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, "seems to me a sterile promontory."

  • The sponges on this promontory were mostly white and tan; a few were dirty yellow.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Soon they were standing on a sheer promontory in front of a concrete

    Fiction book (1998)
  • On the right is a path that winds up to the promontory and beyond, across the mountains.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The camp meeting hill was a kind of promontory over the long opening of the river, above the cornfields.

    Academic text (1999)
  • To the left is a cliff face that rises to a rocky promontory.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • When the beach ended, they clambered over rocks, going out on the promontory that formed one side of the harbor.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The Jeep continues on the winding road, nearing a promontory high above the city.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Before him extended a low promontory, composed of thousands of wooden chairs, all crushed and piled together.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The hikers enjoyed a breathtaking view from the promontory overlooking the ocean.

Synonyms

head
vspromontory
17 5.6

The source of a river or stream

is a projecting high point into water not the origin or source
headland
vspromontory
3 6.2

A high piece of land with steep sides that sticks out into the sea

is a high jutting point not necessarily steep sided
pointe
vspromontory
  • US
2 7.9

A piece of land that sticks out into a sea or lake

is the general high point of land projecting into water rather than a name
foreland
vspromontory
1 9.2

An area of land that sticks out into the sea or lies in front of higher land

is the single high projecting point rather than a broader area
outthrust
vspromontory
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A piece of rock that sticks out from a cliff or hill

is specifically a high projection into water rather than any outward jut

How Prominent

peninsula
126 2.7
promontory
4 8.1
cape
116 3.2
point
80 1.0
spit
5 8.2

Surface Forms

promontory singular
promontories plural

Etymology

Promontory comes from Latin parts pro- 'forward' and mons 'mountain', so it once meant a 'forward mountain'. That's why a promontory is a high piece of land that sticks out into the sea.