coeval

American  

[koh-ee-vuhl] / koʊˈi vəl /

adjective

1. of the same age, date, or duration; equally old.

   Analysis has proved that this manuscript is coeval with that one.

2. coincident.

   Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were only approximately coeval.

---

noun

1. a contemporary.

   He is more serious than his coevals.

coeval British  

/ ˌkəʊɪˈvælɪtɪ, kəʊˈiːvəl /

adjective

1. of or belonging to the same age or generation

---

noun

1. a contemporary

Related Words

See contemporary.

Other Word Forms

• coevality
  noun
• coevally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of coeval

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin coaev(us) (equivalent to co- “with, together” + -aevus, adjective derivative of aevum “age”) + -al adjective suffix; see co-, -al ¹

Explanation

When two things live or happen during the same period of time, they are coeval. If you annotate an old poem, the annotations and the text of the poem are not coeval. The word coeval comes from the Latin co- "jointly" or "in common" and aevum "age." The beginning of Major League Baseball is coeval with the invention of the telephone. People can be coeval, though more often you'll hear contemporary used to describe people who are about the same age. You and your contemporaries probably view the world a lot differently than your grandparents' generation.

Example Sentences

Coeval race with man! for man you smile; Why not smile at him too?

From Young's Night Thoughts With Life, Critical Dissertation and Explanatory Notes by Young, Edward

Coeval with the commonwealth itself, the starry roll of its heroes links it with all the fortunes of our history.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 12, No. 71, September, 1863 by Various

Coeval with these appellations was the change of the word thou for you, and upon the same principles.

From A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 1 by Clarkson, Thomas

Coeval with the rise of workhouses, in the reign of Anne, is another event of local history—the introduction of street-lighting. 

From Rambles in an Old City comprising antiquarian, historical, biographical and political associations by Madders, S. S.

Coeval, kō-ē′val, adj. of the same age.—n. one of the same age: a contemporary.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various