WordGarden.ioimmerge
Pronunciation
UK
US
Meanings
Verb
to plunge, sink, or put something into a liquid or surrounding medium
Beyond the definition
To immerge means to plunge something into a liquid or to go down beneath the surface. It gives the idea of moving inward and downward into water or another fluid. The word is rare in modern English, and most people today would say "immerse" or "submerge" instead.
Here's a simple way to remember it: "emerge" comes out, while "immerge" goes in. Both words come from the Latin mergere, meaning "to dip" or "to plunge." You may see "immerge" in older writing or in very formal contexts, but in normal conversation it sounds old-fashioned.
To immerge means to plunge into a liquid, to put something under the surface, or sometimes to sink beneath the surface. It is a rare word in modern English and is usually replaced by "immerse" or "submerge." If you come across it, it will most often be in older books, formal writing, or writing that wants an old literary feel. For example: "The cloth was immerged in dye," or "The boat slowly immerged beneath the water."
The word comes from the Latin immergere, built from in- ("into") and mergere ("to dip" or "to plunge"). It is closely related to "immerse," which comes from the same Latin source and became far more common in everyday English. Because of that, many learners may never meet "immerge" outside dictionaries or older texts.
It is often helpful to think of "immerge" beside "emerge." When something emerges, it comes out or rises into view. When it immerges, it goes in or sinks out of sight. That contrast makes the word easy to remember, even if you are unlikely to hear it in ordinary speech.
In a broader sense, some older writers also used it for going into something as if into a fluid, but the main idea is still sinking or plunging under. So the heart of the word is simple: something moves downward into a covering substance, usually water or another liquid, and disappears beneath the surface.
Examples
- 1
Medical instruction
In the old medical text, the doctor tells readers to immerge the bandage in cold water.
- Usage
rare and old-fashioned; modern English usually uses immerse
- 2
Poetry
In the poem, the sun slowly immerges in the western sea.
- 3
Eclipse
During the eclipse, the moon seemed to immerge into the earth's shadow.
- Patternimmerge into
go into and disappear from sight
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- immerge