emerge
UK[ɪˈmɜːdʒ]US[ɪˈmɜːrdʒ]
v
To come out of something or out from behind something.
v
To become known or apparent.
Morpheme Breakdown
e
merge
e
out
merge
dip, sink
Etymology
The word 'emerge' originates from the Latin verb 'emergere', a compound of the prefix 'e-' (meaning 'out') and the verb 'mergere' (meaning 'to dip' or 'plunge'). The literal sense is therefore 'to rise out of a liquid' or 'to come up from being submerged'. This concrete image of something surfacing from water provided a powerful metaphor, which evolved in English to encompass the abstract idea of coming into view or becoming known from a state of obscurity or concealment. The logic connects the physical act of rising from immersion to the figurative process of an idea, fact, or entity coming to light.
Analysis
Structure: e (out) + merge (dip, sink)
- e: A prefix of Latin origin, a variant of 'ex-', meaning 'out', 'forth', or 'away'.
- merge: A root of Latin origin, from 'mergere', meaning 'to dip', 'immerse', or 'plunge'.
Examples
The sun began to emerge from behind the clouds.
New evidence has emerged during the investigation.
It emerged that he had known about the problem all along.