Concomitant

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /kənˈkɒmɪtənt/

Definitions

1. Occurring or existing simultaneously with something else, often in a related or associated manner
2. Existing or occurring at the same time as another event or condition, typically in a way that is interconnected or complementary
3. Happening concurrently with another phenomenon, usually implying a relationship or connection between the two

Etymology: The Latin verb "comitari" meant "to accompany," and its root is the noun "comes," a companion or fellow traveller. Add the prefix "con-" ("together") and you get "concomitari," literally "to go along together." English took the present participle "concomitans" through Middle French, first recording the adjective in 1607, roughly the period when English writers were borrowing Latin-derived terms in large numbers. The word's core idea is therefore physical: two things travelling side by side. Its modern sense of "occurring at the same time" grew naturally from that picture of companionship. Most of the classical vocabulary built on "comes," including "count" in its older sense of a royal companion, shares this same root, so the word belongs to a surprisingly large family.

Synonyms: accompanying, associated, simultaneous, concurrent, collateral

Antonyms: independent, unrelated, dissimilar, disparate, unaccompanied