emergency
noun
[ ɪˈməːdʒ(ə)nsi ]
• a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action.
• "personal alarms for use in an emergency"
Similar:
crisis,
urgent situation,
extremity,
exigency,
accident,
disaster,
catastrophe,
calamity,
difficulty,
plight,
predicament,
tight spot,
tight corner,
mess,
quandary,
dilemma,
unforeseen circumstances,
dire/desperate straits,
danger,
scrape,
jam,
fix,
pickle,
spot,
hole,
hot water,
crunch,
panic stations,
• the Second World War.
• a reserve runner in horse racing.
Origin:
mid 17th century: from medieval Latin emergentia, from Latin emergere ‘arise, bring to light’ (see emerge).
