Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- effort or desire to equal or excel others.
- Obsolete. jealous rivalry.
noun
- the act of emulating or imitating
- the effort or desire to equal or surpass another or others
- archaic jealous rivalry
1550s, from Middle French émulation (13c.) and directly from Latin aemulationem (nominative aemulatio), from past participle stem of aemulari “to rival, strive to excel,” from aemulus “striving, rivaling” (also as a noun, “a rival,” fem. aemula), from Proto-Italic *aimo-, from PIE *aim-olo, from root *aim- “copy” (see imitation).