emerge

Where does the word "emerge" come from? It comes from Latin mergere, passing through Latin before entering English (1560s).

Emerge’s story begins in Latin: mergere meant “to dip, to plunge.” To dip, to plunge, combined with ex- (out). Within Latin, it grew into emergere by ancient. To rise out, to come forth, from ex- and mergere. It reached English by 1560s as emerge. Settled as the English word for coming out from being hidden or submerged. Today, emerge means to come out from being hidden, submerged, or previously unknown.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient mergere "to dip, to plunge", to dip, to plunge, combined with ex- (out).
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient emergere "to rise out, to come forth", to rise out, to come forth, from ex- and mergere.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1560s emerge "to come out from being hidden, submerged, or unknown", settled as the English word for coming out from being hidden or submerged.