emergence
Pluralemergences (some meanings)
- 1The act of coming into view or rising up from somewhere hidden.
Like a swimmer's head popping up out of the pool.
The emergence of the sun from behind the clouds lit up the whole valley.
Her sudden emergence from the water surprised the other swimmers.
Similarappearance, rise, surfacing
Oppositedisappearance
- 2The way a complex system develops new patterns that its separate parts do not have on their own.
Like how one ant can't build much, but a whole colony makes a complex nest.
The emergence of a flock's shape comes from each bird following a few simple rules.
Scientists study the emergence of order in large colonies of ants.
Note
- 3A small growth on a plant's surface, like a prickle, that grows from deeper layers than a hair does.
Like a small bump growing out of a plant's skin.
The gardener pricked her finger on an emergence along the rose stem.
Under the lens, each emergence rose from deep inside the plant tissue.
Note
Less common meaning
- 4A sudden, dangerous situation that needs fast action: an emergency.
In this dire emergence, the Marquis de Torcy, minister for foreign affairs, offered his services.
1790, Charles Hamilton, Transactions During the Reign of Queen AnneHere, emergence means an emergency, a sudden, dangerous situation needing fast action.Note
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of emergence apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
It came from the French word émergence. It can also be seen as emerge plus -ence.