The word for today is…
emulate (verb) – 1. To strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation.
2. To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with.
3. (Computers) To imitate the function of (another system), as by modifications to hardware or software that allow the imitating system to accept the same data, execute the same programs, and achieve the same results as the imitated system.
Source : The Free Dictionary
Etymology :
If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, then past speakers of English clearly had a great admiration for the Latin language. The verb emulate joined the ranks of Latin-derived English terms in the 16th century. It comes from aemulus, a Latin term for “rivaling” or “envious.” Two related adjectives—emulate and emulous—appeared within a half-century of the verb emulate. Both mean “striving to emulate; marked by a desire to imitate or rival” or sometimes “jealous,” but emulous is rare these days and the adjective emulate is obsolete. The latter did have a brief moment of glory, however, when William Shakespeare used it in Hamlet:
“Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear’d to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto prick’d on by a most emulate pride,
Dar’d to the combat….”
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