emplace

Emplace is a transitive verb meaning to place something in a proper or fixed position, often with care or for a specific purpose. It conveys a sense of deliberate positioning, installation, or setting up for use, rather than casual placement. The word appears in formal, technical, or military contexts and emphasizes readiness and stability.

In military and engineering usage, to emplace something is to establish its fixed position and prepare it for operation. Examples include emplacing a weapon or artillery piece at a prepared site, emplacing charges or sensors, or placing equipment in a designated location. The related noun emplacement refers to the position or site where such devices are installed or arranged.

In modern computing, emplace has a specialized meaning in the C++ programming language. Emplace (and related functions like emplace_back) constructs an object directly in a container, forwarding constructor arguments to create the object in place. This avoids creating a temporary object and can improve performance relative to insertion followed by construction elsewhere.

Etymology and usage notes: emplace derives from the French emplacer, meaning to place or station. It has been adopted into English since the early modern period and remains common in formal writing and in technical domains. In everyday speech, more common synonyms include place, set, or install, though emplace retains precise connotations of deliberate and fixed positioning.

See also: emplacement (the noun form denoting the place where something is installed), and emplaced (the adjective or past participle form).