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# emergent

adjective (emergent)

«emergent» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Emergent means starting to appear, grow or become known. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#m1)
2. (science) An emergent plant grows in water but its top sticks up out of the water, like a reed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#m2)
3. (science, rainforest) The emergent layer is the very top of a rainforest, where the tallest trees poke above the canopy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#m3)
4. (formal) An emergent property is something a whole group has that its single parts do not have. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#m4)

### In the lessons

In geography and science lessons pupils learn rainforest layers: forest floor, understorey, canopy, emergent layer. In pond studies, emergent plants grow at the edge. In everyday or formal talk, emergent means new and growing: «emergent readers» are children just starting to read. Phrases: «emergent layer», «emergent writing», «emergent technology».

### Examples

- The emergent layer is home to eagles and monkeys. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#x1)
- The tallest trees in the rainforest are emergent trees. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#x2)
- Reeds are emergent plants at the edge of the pond. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#x3)
- Teachers help emergent readers with simple books. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#x4)
- An ant colony is clever even though each ant is simple — that is an emergent property. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#x5)
- Emergent countries are growing quickly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/#x6)

### Note

Adjective only. Related: emerge (verb), emergence (noun). Do not confuse with «emergency» (a sudden dangerous event) — they share a root but mean different things. «Emerging» is the more common everyday word: «emerging markets».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «emergent» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/emergent/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«emergent» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/emergent.html) on Mova free.