noun
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an act or instance of emanating
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something that emanates or is produced; effusion
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a gaseous product of radioactive decay, such as radon
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of emanation
1560–70; < Late Latin ēmānātiōn- (stem of ēmānātiō ), equivalent to ēmānāt ( us ) ( see emanate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Stinky smell coming from under the floor? Weird light from the garden shed at night? That's an emanation, something, often invisible, that is emitted by something. Emanation is very similar in meaning to emission, and the two words are often used interchangeably, though there is an important difference; there tends to be something slightly more other-worldy and inexplicable about an emanation, owing in part to the word's theological use in the Christian religion as a means of describing the Holy Spirit. An emission always has a solid base in reality or science, and an emanation may be just plain spooky.
Vocabulary lists containing emanation
1984
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"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
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The Golden Compass
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The defining attribute of a dictatorship, as well as of kingship in its ancient and absolute form, is the assertion that law—its making, interpretation, adjudication, and enforcement—is an emanation of the will of one man.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025
“The form of the danger is an emanation of energy. The danger is unleashed only if you substantially disturb this place physically. This place is best shunned and left uninhabited.”
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2024
I want to say yes, except that this renewed fascination with twins is not so much an emanation of intellectual curiosity as it is an expression of our collective distress and anxiety.
From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024
In the first “Symphony in White,” she seems vulnerable and defenseless, her arms held loosely at her sides, her stance retiring, her presence registering as an emanation from the white curtain behind her.
From Washington Post • Jul. 14, 2022
A victim was still needed before the outsiders and many of the old inhabitants of Macondo would credit the legend that Remedios Buendía did not give off a breath of love but a fatal emanation.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
