imminent
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From the present participle of Latin imminēre (“to overhang”), from mineō ("to project, overhang"), related to minae (English menace) and mons (English mount). Compare with eminent.
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
imminent (comparative more imminent, superlative most imminent)
- about to happen, occur, or take place very soon, especially of something which won't last long.
- 1927, Whitney v. California:
- To courageous, self-reliant men, with confidence in the power of free and fearless reasoning applied through the processes of popular government, no danger flowing from speech can be deemed clear and present unless the incidence of the evil apprehended is so imminent that it may befall before there is opportunity for full discussion.
- 1927, Whitney v. California:
Usage notes [edit]
- Imminent and eminent are very similar sounds, and are weak rhymes; in some dialects, these may be confused. A typo of either word may result in a correction to the wrong word by spellchecking software. Imminent is also sometimes confused with immanent.
- Said of danger, threat and death.
Synonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
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External links [edit]
- imminent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- imminent in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- imminent at OneLook Dictionary Search
French [edit]
Adjective [edit]
imminent m (feminine imminente, masculine plural imminents, feminine plural imminentes)
Derived terms [edit]
Latin [edit]
Verb [edit]
imminent
- third-person plural present active indicative of immineō
