Emulate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɛm.jʊ.leɪt/

Definitions

1. To strive to match or surpass someone's achievements or qualities through imitation
2. To imitate someone's actions, qualities, or achievements in order to equal or exceed them in skill and success
3. To seek to replicate the behavior or accomplishments of another individual with the aim of achieving similar excellence

Etymology: The verb "emulate" arrived in English in 1586 at a time when rivalry was considered a fine thing to aspire to. It was borrowed directly from the Latin "aemulātus," the past participle of "aemulor," meaning "to rival" or "to vie with." Latin "aemulus," the root of that verb, described a competitor, and the idea running through the word is striving to match or surpass someone you admire. The English verb inherited that competitive edge at first, so to emulate someone once meant to contend with them rather than simply imitate them. Over the centuries the sense softened toward copying, and today it usually means little more than trying to be like a model. The ending "-ate" is a Latin verb-forming suffix, which is why the word sounds so at home among other formal verbs borrowed from Latin.

Synonyms: imitate, copy, mimic, replicate, simulate

Antonyms: neglect, ignore, disregard, abandon, shun