eminence (noun) - the quality or state of being prominent or renowned; someone of distinguished station or high rank (also eminency) [em-uh-nuhns]
BREAKDOWN: E- (out of) + MIN- (project) + -ENCE (state of)
an eminence can also be a high hill or protuberance
eminent means distinguished, noteworthy, lofty, or towering
COMMONLY CONFUSED: imminence is the state or condition of being likely to occur; an impending threat
“Reading is the royal road to intellectual eminence...Truly good books are more than mines to those who can understand them. They are the breathings of the great souls of past times. Genius is not embalmed in them, but lives in them perpetually.” —William Ellery Channing
