emergency

Definitions

e- (out of) + merg (rise/surface) + -ency (state) = literally "a thing that has emerged." An emergency is a situation that has suddenly surfaced and demands action now. Connect emerge (come into view) with emergency (something that has abruptly come into view), and the odd word becomes transparent.

Why It Means This

Most people never notice that emergency hides emerge inside it. Latin emergere (to rise out) gave a noun for "an unforeseen occurrence that has just surfaced." The urgency we now feel in the word came later — because anything that suddenly emerges, unplanned, tends to demand a fast response.

Common Collocations

• 1.state of emergency紧急状态
• 2.medical emergency医疗急救
• 3.emergency services应急服务
• 4.in an emergency紧急情况下
• 5.declare an emergency宣布进入紧急状态
• 6.emergency room急诊室

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Call 911 immediately in case of a medical emergency.

• 2.

  The government declared a state of emergency after the storm.

• 3.

  Keep a flashlight handy for emergencies.

• 4.

  The plane made an emergency landing in a nearby field.