émulation

Forms

émulation f (plural émulations)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin aemulātiō (“rivalry, desire to equal”),^[2][3][4] from the supine of aemulor (“to rival”), from aemulus (“striving to imitate, rival”), a word of obscure origin.^[3][5] Cognate with Old Occitan emulacio, Spanish emulación and Italian emulazione.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the early 13th century in an Old French Rule of Saint Benedict (Riule S. Beneit), in the Latin sense of rivalry or jealousy.^[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

The sense “rivalry, jealousy” has disappeared.^[3] By weakening the word came to name the feeling that urges one to equal or surpass another, recorded in 1660 in Somaize's Grand dictionnaire des Précieuses (1532 according to the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert);^[2][3][4][7] it is now used only in a positive sense.^[3] In computing (about 1972) it took from English emulation the sense of making one computer imitate a computer of another type.^[3]

Timeline

• early 13th century – First found, meaning “rivalry, jealousy”.^[2][3]
• 1532 – The Grand Robert's date for the modern sense.^[4][7]
• 1660 – Somaize records the sense “feeling that urges one to equal others”.^[2][3]
• c. 1972 – The computing sense is taken from English.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A feeling that urges one to equal or surpass others in merit, knowledge or work, a healthy rivalry: esprit d'émulation.^[7][2]
2. (computing) The emulating of one processor or system by another.^[7][3][1]

Related words

• émule
• émuler
• émulateur
• Latin aemulus
• English emulation

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert