Emulate

Emulate

Family

(I don't actually know if this is a family, but that's what it's representing in this blog)

Kids often emulate their parents. They start out by looking up to their parents as role models. Then, throughout their lives, they try to and may succeed in having the characteristics that they admire in their parents.

Spelling: E-m-u-l-a-t-e

Definitions:

- “To strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation” (1).

- “To compare with successfully; approach or attain equally with” (1).

- “Computer Science To imitate the function of (another system), as by modifications to hardware or software that allow the imitating system to accept the same idea, execute the same programs, and achieve the same results as the imitated system” (1).

- “To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with” (4).

Most likely definition:
- “To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with” (4).

Parts of Speech:
- Verb
o transitive verb: needs a direct object (2)
- Adjective

Forms of Word:
- Past tense: emulated
- Present tense: emulating
- Future tense: emulate
- Third person singular: emulates
(1) (3)

Example Sentences:

- As a boy, George had such admiration for his dad that he attempted to emulate his every move.

- Many artists try to emulate the styles of previous artists that they look up to. Through mimicking these styles the artist can improve their own talents.
Pronunciation:
Em-u-late
(1)

When is this word a good word to use?

- In a newspaper article discussing a student/mentor relationship or a rivalry (especially the sports column).

- In a novel.

- When talking to someone who has a very high vocabulary and doesn’t mind fancy words.

- A political debate, interview or speech.

- At a job interview.

Synonyms:

- Imitate: Imitate is similar to emulate, but different because to imitate something/someone is to replicate that person or thing. To emulate is to try to be like something/ someone and maybe succeed.

- Mimic: Mimic is similar to emulate but different because to be emulated is often a positive thing to happen to oneself and to be mimicked is similar to being copied, which is more negative
Antonyms:

- Oppose: oppose is pretty close to the opposite of emulate. Most of the time, emulate is to try to, and maybe succeed in being like something. This means that the person emulating the other is in one way or another working towards similar goals of the other or wanting to or succeeding in possessing similar characteristics as the other.. To oppose is to work to gain a goal that is opposite to that of another or to be opposite in characteristics to another.

- (to be) original: To emulate is try to be or succeed in being like another. To be original is to be different.

- (to be) individual: To emulate is to try to be or succeed in being like another. To be individual is to be different.

Rating:
I would rate this word as three out of five stars in usefulness.
The word, ‘emulate’ is a good word because it is an interesting word that might catch the attention of others. It has a meaning that applies to everyday life or at least a lot of life in general. Finally, it is also somewhat easy to spell and short enough to be practical.
On the other hand, the word, ‘emulate’ is not always commonly used, which means that anyone who hears it might not get what the person who said it is trying to say. Also, the definitions for the word are pretty narrow, so finding a use for it might be harder than it seems.




1) http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/emulate
2) http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/trnsintr.html
3) http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emulate
4) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/emulate
5) Microsoft word shortcut menu
6) http://encarta.msn.com/thesaurus_561572445/emulation.html
7) photo © Erika Mlejova
for openphoto.net CC:NonCommercial-ShareAlike