I. -nt adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin emergent-, emergens, present participle of emergere to emerge — more at emerge
1. : emerging out of a fluid or something that covers or conceals : issuing forth : rising into notice
like the lovely goddess emergent from the waves
emergent coastal islands
the emergent vegetation along the shore
2. : suddenly appearing : arising unexpectedly ; often : calling for prompt action : urgent
emergent danger
an emergent state in a hemophiliac
3. : arising as a natural or logical consequence or outcome
political issues emergent from war
4. : appearing as or involving the appearance of something novel in a process of evolution — compare emergent evolution
• emer·gent·ly adverb
II. noun
( -s )
1. obsolete : emergency
2. : an emergent quality, character, or individual
3. : a plant (as a tall tree with its crown above the level of the forest) that emerges from its substrate ; especially : any of various plants (as a bulrush) rooted in shallow water and having most of the vegetative growth above water