emanate

Emanate is a verb that means to issue forth or spread out from a source. It commonly describes something that radiates outward, such as light, heat, or a scent, but it can also refer to intangible origins, like a feeling, mood, or influence that originates in a person or place.

Usage notes: Emanate is usually intransitive and is followed by from or out of. For example, “The aroma emanates from the kitchen” or “A sense of calm emanates from the room.” It is less common to use emanate with a direct object. In scientific contexts, the term appears in phrases such as “radon emanation,” referring to a gas produced and emitted by rocks or soil.

Etymology: Emanate comes from Latin emanare, literally “to flow forth,” formed from ex- “out” and manare “to flow,” and entered English via Old French émaner. Related forms include emanation (the noun form) and the concept of emanations in philosophy, mysticism, and physics.

See also: emanation.