Coexistent

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Existing in the same temporal or spatial framework as other entities
2. Present simultaneously in the same context or environment
3. Occurring together within the same time or space

Etymology: "Coexistent" is a plain formation: the prefix "co-", meaning "together" or "with", attached to "existent", meaning "existing" or "in being." Its parts come down from Latin, where "con-" (in its shortened form "co-") joined words to show things happening side by side. "Existent" itself entered English from Latin "existens," the present participle of "existere," "to stand forth, emerge." Joining the two gives a word that says, quite literally, "existing together." The sense is exactly what the parts suggest. Two things are coexistent when both are in being at the same time, whether two nations, two beliefs, or two species sharing a habitat. The word needs no special story; its meaning is simply built into its construction.

Synonyms: simultaneous, concurrent, coinciding, synchronous, cohabiting

Antonyms: exclusive, separate, disjoint