Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

emergency

 - 4 dictionary results

e⋅mer⋅gen⋅cy

[i-mur-juhn-see] noun, plural -cies, adjective
–noun
1. a sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or occasion requiring immediate action.
2. a state, esp. of need for help or relief, created by some unexpected event: a weather emergency; a financial emergency.
–adjective
3. granted, used, or for use in an emergency: an emergency leave; emergency lights.

Origin:
1625–35; < ML ēmergentia, equiv. to ēmerg- (see emerge ) + -entia -ency. See emergent


1. exigency, extremity, pinch, quandary, plight. Emergency, crisis, straits refer to dangerous situations. An emergency is a situation demanding immediate action: A power failure created an emergency in transportation. A crisis is a vital or decisive turning point in a condition or state of affairs, and everything depends on the outcome of it: Help arrived when affairs had reached a crisis. Strait (usually straits) suggests a pressing situation, often one of need or want: The family was in desperate straits for food and clothing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To emergency
e·mer·gen·cy   (ĭ-mûr'jən-sē)   
n.   pl. e·mer·gen·cies
  1. A serious situation or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and demands immediate action.

  2. A condition of urgent need for action or assistance: a state of emergency.

adj.  For use during emergencies: emergency food rations.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: emer·gen·cy
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
1 : an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action
2 : an urgent need for assistance or relief emergency>
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: emer·gen·cy
Pronunciation: i-'m&r-j&n-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
: an unforeseencombination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action: as a : a sudden bodily alteration (as a ruptured appendix or surgical shock) such as is likely torequire immediate medical attention b : a usually distressing event or condition that can often be anticipated or prepared for but seldom exactly foreseen
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see emergency on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: