# Emersed Terminology



## Rob Tetrazona (Jun 21, 2005)

Hi all,

I am writing an emersed aquatic plant article for the local fish club I am a member of and I really just want to hear opinions on the proper use of the terminology and why. I want to understand which term is better and/or interchangeable. The terms are:

Emersed vs Emerged

and

Submersed vs Submerged

I want the article to lean one way or the other with the usage of the terms, but I'd also like to explain the use of the terminology if asked. Am I just dealing with potatoes vs potahtoes?

Thanks!


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I think emersed is an adjective and denotes being in the water but growing beyond it while emerged is a verb and connotes having come out of the water, ie no longer in the water. I see emersed is now included in websters online.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

They're more or less synonymous-po-ta-toes and po-tah-toes, as you say. Most of the real confusion in terminology derives from using emersed vs. immersed-despite the similarities in spelling and pronuciation, those two are opposites (further compounded by common spelling errors such as "emmersed"). To avoid that mixup, I tend to exclusively use "emersed" and "submersed" as antonyms in my writing.

Bruce is correct to point out that "emerged" is a verb as opposed to the adjective "emersed", although "submerged" and "submersed" each function as both verbs and adjectives. The adjectival form of "emerge" is "emergent" (i.e. "The _emergent_ plant grew more robustly than its submerged counterpart.").

Other than that, using -merged vs. -mersed is a matter of personal preference. Both are derived from the same root. Not actually sure why we have both forms, truth be told, but English is a screwy language like that. Use whichever you prefer, or alternate the two. I tend to see -mersed more often in the more scientific literature, perhaps to aid clarity because "emerge" has other uses in English, i.e. to become apparent/known ("After much scrutiny, a pattern _emerged_."), and so on. Either that, or scientists think "emersed" sounds fancier. We all know science loves those big fancy words!


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

These words are always confusing. A friend used to say English is a screwed up language because it has some rules yet it seems like there is no rules. Some rules will be broken sometimes due to other languages' influence/rules.  Example: you don't pronounce "viva" in an English sentence in English pronunciation - I know this word is borrowed from Spanish.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Good to know that these forms are mostly used synonymous in English, I've been unsure which form is correct, too.

The Latin roots: 
e-, ex- = out of; sub- = under, beneath, within etc. 
mérgere = to dip, sink, drown etc.; mergo = I dip, mergis = You dip etc.
mergens = dipping (compare "emergent"), plural: mergentes
mersi = I have dipped
mersus (masculine), mersa (feminine), mersum (neutrum) = dipped 
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mergo


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

I just use emersed and submersed :/ though the red squiggly line is kinda annoying LOL


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

It strikes me that there are three conditions in which aquatic plants are grown. The first is obviously submerged. By which I mean grown under the water. The second one is what I call emersed. By which I mean grown in water but emerging from it. This can involve various levels of water but I think it involves a water level which is above the substrate. The third way of culturing these plants is one in which the water level is below the substrate level. I think this is often referred to as emersed but I don’t think that is an accurate term. So I am wondering if anyone has a term for this type of culture.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

BruceF said:


> It strikes me that there are three conditions in which aquatic plants are grown. The first is obviously submerged. By which I mean grown under the water. The second one is what I call emersed. By which I mean grown in water but emerging from it. This can involve various levels of water but I think it involves a water level which is above the substrate. The third way of culturing these plants is one in which the water level is below the substrate level. I think this is often referred to as emersed but I don't think that is an accurate term. So I am wondering if anyone has a term for this type of culture.


Hi NeonRob,

I try to use the terms similarly to what Bruce F indicated. Here is what I try to remember to use:

Submerged / Submersed = Plants completely under water
Emersed = Plants growing out of the water; ie water above substrate
Emerged = Plants growing completely out of the water with substrate exposed (although water level could be just below the substrate)

Here is an article I did for Northwest Aquaria, the GSAS newsletter, earlier this fall. I moved it over to a blog site so I could link to it so it would be available to others.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

There really isn't a difference between emerged and emersed. Both imply a plant growing up out of the water, regardless of its relation to the soil (point of fact: floating plants can produce emersed/emergent growth, no substrate required). That said, if the water line is _too _far below the soil, it's just plain old terrestrial growth. There is a heavy degree of water saturation implied in describing growth as emersed/emergent. (Perhaps we would better describe the soil as "mud" regardless of the exact relative height of the waterline.)


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