Word of the Day

: February 25, 2008

emulate

verb EM-yuh-layt

What It Means

1 a : to strive to equal or excel

b : imitate

2 : to equal or approach equality with

emulate in Context

Younger brothers and sisters will often try to emulate the behavior of their older siblings.

Did You Know?

If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, to paraphrase Charles C. Colton (circa 1780-1832), then past speakers of English clearly had a great admiration for the Latin language. The verb "emulate" joined the ranks of Latin-derived English terms in 1582. It comes from "aemulus," a Latin term for "rivaling" or "envious." Two related adjectives -- "emulate" and "emulous" -- appeared around the same time as the verb "emulate." Both mean "striving to emulate" or sometimes "jealous," but "emulous" is rare these days, and the adjective "emulate" is obsolete. The latter did have a brief moment of glory, however, when Shakespeare used it in Hamlet:

"Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear'd to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto prick'd on by a most emulate pride,
Dar'd to the combat. . . ."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.