To send out or give off something, such as light, heat, sound, or gas. It can describe both natural and artificial sources.
From Latin 'emittere' meaning 'to send out, let go,' from 'e-' (out) + 'mittere' (to send). English took it directly through scientific and technical vocabulary. The basic image is releasing something that then travels away.
To 'emit' is to 'send out'—so a star emits light, a speaker emits sound, and a car emits exhaust. The word doesn’t judge; it just describes the sending. It’s humans who decide which emissions are beautiful (like music) and which are dangerous (like greenhouse gases).
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