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emergo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word emergo

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Terence
Ultimate origin
Latin (mergō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [eːˈmɛr.ɡoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [eˈmɛr.ɡo][1]

Forms

ēmergō (present infinitive ēmergere, perfect active ēmersī, supine ēmersum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from ex- “out” and mergō “to dip, plunge”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Terence, of coming forth and of getting clear of a difficulty.[2] Köbler dates Terence 190–159 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to come up out of the water, emerge, as in Cicero, also in the passive or reflexive, which Lewis and Short say was its rare transitive use.[2][5] It meant to come forth from confinement, as in Terence, and of a heavenly body to rise, as in Cicero.[2] Figuratively it meant to get clear of a difficulty, as in Terence, to rise from obscurity, as in Lucretius, and to come to light, turn up, and to result, as in Cicero.[2] Livy uses it transitively of letting water escape.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to emerge, come forth, get clear.[6] English emerge came in the 1560s from French émerger and directly from Latin.[7] It was borrowed as Italian emergere and Spanish emerger.[1]

Timeline

  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of coming forth and of getting clear.[2][4]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of rising from obscurity.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of coming out of water.[2][4]
  • 1560s – English emerge is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To come up out of water, emerge.[2]
  2. To come forth; of stars, to rise.[2]
  3. To get clear, extricate oneself; to rise to fame.[2]
  4. To come to light; to result.[2]
  5. To emerge from; to let water escape.[2]

Word family

  • ēmersus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Emergo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/emergo. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·