emergence

[ih-mur-juh ns]

See more synonyms for emergence on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act or process of emerging.
an outgrowth, as a prickle, on the surface of a plant.
Evolution. the appearance of new properties or species in the course of development or evolution.

Origin of emergence

1640–50; < French < Medieval Latin; see emergency

Related formsnon·e·mer·gence, nounre·e·mer·gence, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for emergence

development, evolution, appearance, materialization, issue, emanation

Examples from the Web for emergence

Contemporary Examples of emergence

Thorgerson and Powell turned to video and film—a smart move given the emergence of MTV.
The Golden Age of Rock Album Covers
Ted Gioia
December 5, 2014
We saw the emergence of fashion designers who specialized in creating abayas.
Saudi Activist Manal Al-Sharif on Why She Removed the Veil
Manal Al Sharif, Advancing Human Rights
October 30, 2014
Instead there was the emergence of a Tea Party movement that brought many traditionally low-propensity voters to the polls.
What the GOP Will Do If It Wins Congress
Stuart Stevens
October 3, 2014
Nomani said her activism, which took root before the emergence of social media, has often been lonely and isolating.
Twin visions of Islamic Feminism Split Muslim Community
Shaheen Pasha
September 21, 2014
The emergence of new technology can have the most unexpected results on human behavior.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs
Daniel Genis
July 28, 2014

Historical Examples of emergence

It was rather the emergence from narrow channels to an open sea.
Evolution in Modern Thought
Ernst Haeckel
I need not detail the aftermath of our emergence from the atom.
Beyond the Vanishing Point
Raymond King Cummings
They received orders not to fire upon the savages under any emergence.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott
La Salle instantly called all his force to arms, that he might be prepared for any emergence.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott
From here to the river's emergence from the park the fishing is not crude.
The Book of the National Parks
Robert Sterling Yard

British Dictionary definitions for emergence

emergence

noun

the act or process of emerging
an outgrowth, such as a prickle, that contains no vascular tissue and does not develop into stem, leaf, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for emergence

1640s, "unforeseen occurrence," from French émergence, from emerger, from Latin emergere (see emerge). Meaning "an emerging" is from 1704.