protuberance Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun something that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from its surroundings
    protrusion; extrusion; bulge; gibbousness; hump; prominence; bump; swelling; excrescence; jut; gibbosity.
    • the gun in his pocket made an obvious bulge
    • the hump of a camel
    • he stood on the rocky prominence
    • the occipital protuberance was well developed
    • the bony excrescence between its horns
  2. noun the condition of being protuberant; the condition of bulging out
    • the protuberance of his belly

WordNet

Pro*tu"ber*ance noun
Etymology
Cf. F. protubérance. See Protuberant.
Definitions
  1. That which is protuberant swelled or pushed beyond the surrounding or adjacent surface; a swelling or tumor on the body; a prominence; a bunch or knob; an elevation. Syn. -- Projection, Protuberance. protuberance differs from projection, being applied to parts that rise from the surface with a gradual ascent or small angle; whereas a projection may be at a right angle with the surface.

Webster 1913