Emergence of a pattern (9)
I believe the answer is:
formation
'emergence of a pattern' is the definition.
'formation' can be an answer for 'pattern' (thesaurus). I am unsure of the 'emergence of a' bit.
'pattern' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'pattern' could be 'format' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'format' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ion' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for formation that I've seen before include "Composition" , "Arrangement of things acting as a unit" , "Structure" , "Establishment" , "Institution" .)