emulate
[ verb em-yuh-leyt; adjective em-yuh-lit ]
/ verb ˈɛm yəˌleɪt; adjective ˈɛm yə lɪt /
verb (used with object), em·u·lat·ed, em·u·lat·ing.
to try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal or surpass: to emulate one's father as a concert violinist.
to rival with some degree of success: Some smaller cities now emulate the major capitals in their cultural offerings.
Computers.
- to imitate (a particular computer system) by using a software system, often including a microprogram or another computer that enables it to do the same work, run the same programs, etc., as the first.
- to replace (software) with hardware to perform the same task.
adjective
Obsolete. emulous.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of emulate
Related forms
Can be confusedemulate immolate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for emulative
British Dictionary definitions for emulative
emulate
/ (ˈɛmjʊˌleɪt) /
verb (tr)
to attempt to equal or surpass, esp by imitation
to rival or compete with
to make one computer behave like (another different type of computer) so that the imitating system can operate on the same data and execute the same programs as the imitated system
Derived Formsemulative, adjectiveemulatively, adverbemulator, noun
Word Origin for emulate
C16: from Latin aemulārī, from aemulus competing with; probably related to imitārī to imitate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for emulative
emulate
1580s, back-formation from emulation, or else from Latin aemulatus, past participle of aemulari "to rival." Related: Emulated; emulating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper