Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Origin: From the idea of something suddenly 'emerging' or happening

emergency

 noun
     
e‧mer‧gen‧cy S2 W3 plural emergencies [uncountable and countable]
an unexpected and dangerous situation that must be dealt with immediately [↪ crisis]:
Lifeguards are trained to deal with emergencies.
in an emergency
The staff need to know what to do in an emergency.
In case of emergency, press the alarm button.
emergency exit/supplies etc (=used in an emergency)
$500,000 of emergency aid for the victims of the earthquake
The plane had to make an emergency landing.
The government called an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis.
 ➔ state of emergency
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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