emergent

[ih-mur-juhnt]

adjective

1. coming into view or notice; issuing.

2. emerging; emerging; rising from a liquid or other surrounding medium.

3. coming into existence, especially with political independence.

   the emergent nations of Africa.

4. arising casually or unexpectedly.

5. calling for immediate action; urgent.

6. Evolution.,  displaying emergence.

noun

1. Ecology.,  an aquatic plant having its stem, leaves, etc., extending above the surface of the water.

emergent

/ ɪˈmɜːdʒənt /

adjective

1. coming into being or notice

   an emergent political structure

2. (of a nation) recently independent

noun

1. an aquatic plant with stem and leaves above the water

emergent

1. Rooted below a body of water or in an area that is periodically submerged but extending above the water level. Used of aquatic plants such as cattails, rushes, or cord grass.

Other Word Forms

• emergently adverb
• emergentness noun
• nonemergent adjective
• reemergent adjective
• unemergent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of emergent¹

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin ēmergent- (stem of ēmergēns ) arising out of, present participle of ēmergere to emerge

Example Sentences

As someone young enough to have witnessed Butler’s emergent days as a Nickelodeon and Disney Channel teen heartthrob firsthand, I’ll admit that I never quite understood the appeal.

From Salon

Yet in time, the cattle ranchers fell victim to the emergent boom-and-bust pattern of the Southern California economy.

From Los Angeles Times

The Reuters news agency reported that a planned event involving the ship in Vietnam was cancelled after what the US embassy in Hanoi called an "emergent operational requirement".

From BBC

Delays in rolling out vaccines to combat newly emergent disease strains and variants could cost millions of lives.

From Los Angeles Times

The American security establishment remains in a “Cold War mentality” where it focuses on tracking ballistic missiles and fast jets instead of emergent threats like drones and these objects.

From Salon