the doctrine that, in the course of evolution, some entirely new properties, such as life and consciousness, appear at certain critical points, usually because of an unpredictable rearrangement of the already existing entities
emergent evolution in American English
noun
the origin of entirely new properties at certain critical stages or levels in the course of evolution, as multicellular organisms, sexual reproduction, or nervous systems
Word origin
[1920–25]This word is first recorded in the period 1920–25. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Unknown Soldier, audio, montage, ski jump, tie-in