Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation.
  • transitive verb To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with.
  • transitive verb Computers To imitate the function of (another system), as by modifications to hardware or software that allow the imitating system to accept the same data, execute the same programs, and achieve the same results as the imitated system.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Emulative; eager to equal or excel.
  • To strive to equal or excel in qualities or actions; vie or compete with the character, condition, or performance of; rival imitatively or competitively: as, to emulate good or bad examples; to emulate one's friend or an ancient author.
  • To be a match or counterpart for; imitate; resemble.
  • To envy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Striving to excel; ambitious; emulous.
  • transitive verb To strive to equal or to excel in qualities or actions; to imitate, with a view to equal or to outdo, to vie with; to rival.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To attempt to equal or be the same as.
  • verb To copy or imitate, especially a person.
  • verb obsolete To feel a rivalry with; to be jealous of, to envy.
  • verb computing of a program or device: to imitate another program or device

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb imitate the function of (another system), as by modifying the hardware or the software
  • verb strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
  • verb compete with successfully; approach or reach equality with

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin aemulārī, aemulāt-, from aemulus, emulous; see emulous.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the Latin aemulātiō ("strive").

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