Hervorstehen

Hervorstehen is a German verb meaning to stand out, to emerge, or to protrude, and it can describe both physical projection and perceptual salience. The sense is built from the prefix hervor- attached to stehen (to stand), conveying an outward emergence or prominence.

Usage and meanings

In literal use, hervortstehen refers to something that physically projects or is noticeably raised relative to its surroundings. For example, a rock or a feature in a landscape may “stehen hervort” or “stehen deutlich hervor.” In figurative use, the verb denotes prominence or conspicuity: a characteristic, fact, or finding can “hervorstehen” when it draws particular attention in a text or discussion. The term is commonly found in descriptive writing, analyses, and scholarly contexts.

Relations to related terms

Hervorstehen is related to other German expressions that convey prominence or emphasis. It shares a general sense with herausstechen (to stand out) and with hervorheben (to highlight), but with a nuance that emphasizes outward projection or perceptual salience rather than active highlighting alone.

Grammar notes

Hervorstehen is a separable-prefix verb; in main clauses its prefix can appear separated: Der Fels steht deutlich hervor. In subordinate clauses or with modal constructions, the placement follows standard German word order rules. The verb forms align with typical strong verb patterns for stehen-family verbs.

Examples

- Der Fels steht deutlich hervor.

- In der Analyse steht die Nachhaltigkeitsfrage besonders hervor.

See also

Hervorstehen is complemented by synonyms and related verbs such as herausstechen and hervorheben, which cover overlapping aspects of prominence, emphasis, and visibility.