Submerged is the past participle of submerge, from Latin submergere ('to plunge under'), from sub- ('under') + mergere ('to dip, plunge'). Important recorded forms include sub (Latin) and mergere (Latin). Morphologically, the sub- element contributes the sense of under, below, secondary status, or movement from beneath, with the base naming the field of application. The modern sense continues the older lexical line without requiring a separate origin. In current use it covers covered with or sunk beneath the surface of water. The wider family includes related words such as submerge, submersion, emerge, and merge.