emanant

Emanant is an English adjective meaning issuing forth or proceeding from a source. The form is related to the verb emanate and the noun emanation, and in some uses it can appear as a rare noun to denote something that emanates. The word derives from Latin emanare, meaning to flow forth, and entered English through historical usage that included French and scholarly texts.

In philosophical and theological contexts, emanant is used to describe processes or beings that proceed from a primary source. It is often contrasted with immanent, which denotes something inherently present within a thing. In Neoplatonism and scholastic thought, terms such as emanant causes or emanant beings refer to entities that issue from a divine or cosmic source while remaining distinct from it. Emanant dispositions or qualities are described as radiating outward from a center rather than being wholly contained by it. In general prose, one might say light or heat is emanant from a source, though ordinary language more commonly uses emanate or emanation.

Usage notes: emanant is relatively rare in modern English and many writers prefer emanating or emanation. It tends to appear in translations of philosophical or theological texts or in contexts that aim for an archaic or highly formal register. Pronunciation is typically eem-uh-nuhnt.

See also: emanation, emanate, immanent, emergent, Neoplatonism, scholasticism, panentheism.