imminent
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See also: imminént
English
Etymology
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
Adjective
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.
- 2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42:
- The Second World War was reaching fever pitch, with the entire Allied effort in top gear for the imminent invasion of Europe, while later that month buzz bombs would start falling on London.
Usage notes
- Imminent and eminent are very similar sounds, and are weak rhymes; in dialects with the pin-pen merger, these become homophones. A typo of either word may result in a correction to the wrong word by spellchecking software. Imminent is also sometimes confused with immanent (which see).
- Said of danger, threat and death.
Synonyms
- inevitable, immediate, impending; see also Thesaurus:impending
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
about to happen, occur, or take place very soon
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Further reading
- “imminent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “imminent”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “imminent”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin imminentem (“projecting, overhanging; threatening, menacing”).
Adjective
imminent m or f (masculine and feminine plural imminents)
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “imminent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “imminent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
- “imminent” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “imminent” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
French
Etymology
From Latin imminentem.
Pronunciation
Adjective
imminent (feminine imminente, masculine plural imminents, feminine plural imminentes)
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “imminent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
Latin
Verb
imminent