Emergency
/ɪˈmɜː.dʒən.si/noun
A serious, unexpected situation that requires immediate action.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin emergere, meaning “to rise out” or “to come forth,” so an emergency was originally a crisis that literally “came up” into view.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*merǵ-
“to rise, spring up”
Latin
Latin
emergere
“to rise out, come forth, appear”
Late Latin
Latin
emergentia
“a rising up; emergence”
Middle French
French
emergence
“a rising out, appearance”
16th–17th Century
English
emergencie
“a sudden or unforeseen occurrence; a pressing need”
Modern English
English
emergency
“a serious, unexpected situation requiring immediate action”