Coetaneous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌkoʊ.ɪˈteɪn.i.əs/

Definitions

1. Happening or existing simultaneously or during the same period
2. Existing or taking place at the same chronological moment
3. Describing events or phenomena that coincide in time

Etymology: Coetaneous is a learned borrowing from Late Latin "coaetaneus", meaning "one of the same age." The Latin word is a compound: "co-", "together with," joined to "aetaneus," which derives from "aetas," age, and the suffix "-aneus," which forms adjectives of relation. Together they describe things that share a lifespan or a generation. English speakers borrowed the word directly from scholarly Latin rather than inheriting it through French, which is why it looks so unlike everyday English vocabulary. Its sense has stayed close to the Latin: it describes things that exist or happen at the same time, whether people born in the same period or events occurring together. The word belongs to a group of learned English terms built from Latin roots, such as "contemporaneous," which it closely resembles in meaning.

Synonyms: contemporary, simultaneous

Antonyms: antiquated, outdated