Origin: Latin suffix -ence
Emergence has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
The act of rising out of a fluid, or coming forth from envelopment or concealment, or of rising into view; sudden uprising or appearance.
"The dragonfish made its dramatic emergence by breaking the surface of the dark ocean water."
In plain English: Emergence is when something new and complex appears from many small parts working together that you couldn't see before.
"The emergence of new technologies has changed how we communicate every day."
Usage: Use emergence to describe the process of something appearing after being hidden or submerged, rather than just its final state of visibility. It often pairs with words like "of a new era" or "from obscurity" to emphasize the transition from concealment to view.
The word emerged into English via the French émergence, sharing a common origin with its doublet "emergency." While it appears to be formed by combining "emerge" and the suffix "-ence," this structure reflects how the term was adopted rather than an original construction in English.