emulous

adjective

em·​u·​lous ˈem-yə-ləs How to pronounce emulous (audio)
1
a
: inspired by or deriving from a desire to emulate
b
: ambitious or eager to emulate
2
obsolete : jealous
emulously adverb
emulousness noun

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin aemulus "striving to equal or surpass, rivaling, envious," (as noun) "rival, competitor," of uncertain origin

Note: The adjective/noun aemulus appears to be formed from an otherwise unattested verbal base aem- and the suffix -ulus, denoting inclination or repetitive action (cf. crēdulus credulous, garrulus garrulous). Alternatively the formation has been taken as a diminutive of a noun base *aim-o- going back to a putative Indo-European *h2eim-o- "imitation," though the evidence for such a root outside Latin is exiguous, consisting solely of Hittite hima-, himma- "substitute, replica, toy." See also image entry 1, imitate.

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of emulous was in 1535

Dictionary Entries Near emulous

emulgent

emulous

emulsifiability

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Emulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emulous. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

emulous

adjective
em·​u·​lous ˈem-yə-ləs How to pronounce emulous (audio)
: eager or ambitious to emulate someone or something
emulously adverb
emulousness noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Giving Thanks Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...