Something that will happen in the short term or that threatens is described as imminent.
Imminent is a term originating from the Latin word immĭnens which, in turn, produces imminēre ( "to threaten" ). Specifically, we can determine that it is a word that is made up of three Latin elements:
• The prefix in- , which is used to indicate that something is inside or that it enters.
• The verb minare , which can be translated as “threaten.”
• The suffix -nte”, which is used as a synonym for “agent”.
It is an adjective that is used to name something that threatens or that will happen soon .
For example: “The experts consider that the eruption of the volcano is imminent” , “We have to put the house in order: the arrival of your parents is imminent” , “The coach knew that defeat was imminent and that he could do nothing to avoid it” .
Examples of imminent
The imminent, therefore, is something that will take place soon . There is no precise definition of the period of time that is considered imminent or soon, since its consideration will vary according to the context.
If a plane begins to move down the runway, it can be said that its takeoff will be imminent. The fact of beginning to move anticipates that everything is already prepared for the ship to take flight, so takeoff will take place in the next few seconds.
Something imminent can also have a more extended and even indefinite realization. The coach of a soccer team confesses to a journalist that he will present his resignation in the next few hours. The reporter, therefore, reports that the coach will leave his club imminently. It is not known, however, when the resignation will become effective: it could be a few hours or, perhaps, a couple of days.
It is expected that the imminent event will materialize soon: "Those dark clouds indicate that the storm is imminent."
The term in cinema and literature
Within the field of cinema, the term that concerns us now has been frequently used. A good example of this is the film “Imminent Execution” , which was released in 1999 . Clint Eastwood is the director and star of this film that tells how a discredited journalist, due to his alcoholism, interviews a man who is going to be executed in a short period of time.
That conversation they will have makes him think that perhaps the convicted person is innocent, so he begins an investigation against time to prevent the death of a person who has had nothing to do with the crimes he is accused of.
On the other hand, we came across the feature film “Iminent Danger” , which was released in 1994 . Philip Noyce is the filmmaker who went behind the cameras to film this story, starring Jack Ryan , played by Harrison Ford . He is the deputy director of the CIA and his mission is to try to discover what is behind the murder of some men who were friends of one of the most important drug traffickers. However, it will not be easy for him and his life will be in serious danger.
Finally, it is also known as “Imminent Danger” , a book by the British Agatha Christie that was published in 1932 .