EM'INENT, a. [L. eminens, from emineo.]
1. High; lofty; as an eminent place. Ezek.16.2. Exalted in rank; high in office; dignified; distinguished. Princes hold eminent stations in society, as do ministers, judges and legislators.3. High in public estimation; conspicuous; distinguished above others; remarkable; as an eminent historian or poet; an eminent scholar. Burke was an eminent orator; Watts and Cowper were eminent for their piety.