emergent
UK /ɪˈmɜːd͡ʒənt/ · US /ɪˈmɝd͡ʒənt/ adjective, noun
Forms emergents
- adjective Emerging; coming into view or into existence; nascent; new.
- adjective Arising unexpectedly, especially if also calling for immediate reaction.
- adjective (especially medicine) Constituting an emergency.
- adjective (botany) Taller than the surrounding vegetation.
- adjective (botany, of a water-dwelling plant) Having leaves and flowers above the water.
- adjective (video games) Having gameplay that arises from its mechanics, rather than a linear storyline.
- adjective (philosophy, epistemology, sciences) That arises at a higher level than that of its components and is not explainable by the behaviour of said components taken individually; having properties as a whole that are more complex than the properties contributed by each of the components individually. “an emergent property”
- noun (botany) A plant whose root system grows underwater, but whose shoot, leaves and flowers grow up and above the water.
Synonyms
ascending emerging forthcoming inchoate incipient infant immature nascent new newly-formed promising raw up-and-coming
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin ēmergēns, present participle of ēmergō. The medical sense is a back-formation from emergency.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Rising or emerging out of a fluid or anything that covers or conceals; issuing; coming to light.
- adjective Suddenly appearing; arising unexpectedly; Protection granted in emergent danger. Burke.
Etymology [L. emergens, p. pr. of emergere.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “emergent”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details