Past tense of emit; to have sent forth, given off, or discharged something such as light, heat, sound, gas, or radiation.
From Latin emittere, combining e- (out) and mittere (to send). The word entered English in the 17th century, originally meaning to send out or discharge, and later expanded to include physical phenomena like light and sound.
The word 'emit' is beautifully symmetrical with 'admit' and 'permit' - all from the same Latin root mittere meaning 'to send,' but with different directional prefixes that completely change their meanings. Interestingly, in physics, anything that emits something must lose energy in the process, making emission a fundamental concept in thermodynamics.
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