EMERGENT

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin ~-, emergens, present participle of emergere Date: 1593 1. arising unexpectedly, calling for prompt action ; urgent , 2. rising out of or as if out of a fluid , rooted in shallow water and having most of its vegetative growth above water , arising as a natural or logical consequence, newly formed or prominent , II. noun Date: 1620 something ~, 2. a tree that rises above the surrounding forest, an ~ plant