emergency
UK[ɪˈmɜːdʒənsi]US[ɪˈmɜ�ːrdʒənsi]
n
A sudden serious and dangerous event or situation which needs immediate action to deal with it.
n
The department in a hospital that treats people with urgent medical problems.
Morpheme Breakdown
e
merge
ency
e
merge
ency
Etymology
The word 'emergency' originates from the Medieval Latin term 'emergens', the present participle of 'emergere', meaning 'to arise, bring to light'. This Latin verb is itself a compound of 'e-' (out) and 'mergere' (to dip, sink). The literal image is of something rising up out of a liquid or from being submerged into view. Over time, this sense of a sudden, unforeseen arising evolved into the modern abstract meaning of a serious, unexpected situation demanding immediate attention, as if it has suddenly surfaced and requires action. The suffix '-ency' formalizes this concept into a noun denoting the state or condition of such an occurrence.
Analysis
Structure: e + merge + ency
e (Latin): A variant of the prefix 'ex-', meaning 'out'.
merge (Latin): From the Latin verb 'mergere', meaning 'to dip, to immerse, to sink'.
ency (Latin): A noun-forming suffix indicating a state, condition, or quality.
Examples
The pilot declared an emergency and landed the plane at the nearest airport.
In case of emergency, break the glass to sound the alarm.
She was rushed to the emergency room after the accident.