epiphenomenon

[ ep-uh-fuh-nom-uh-non, -nuhn ]

/ ˌɛp ə fəˈnɒm əˌnɒn, -nən /

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noun, plural ep·i·phe·nom·e·na

[ep-uh-fuh-nom-uh-nuh], /ˌɛp ə fəˈnɒm ə nə/, ep·i·phe·nom·e·nons.

Pathology. a secondary or additional symptom or complication arising during the course of a disease.

any secondary phenomenon.

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Origin of epiphenomenon

First recorded in 1700–10; epi- + phenomenon

OTHER WORDS FROM epiphenomenon

ep·i·phe·nom·e·nal, adjectiveep·i·phe·nom·e·nal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use epiphenomenon in a sentence

Though Zadra and Stickgold reject the idea that dreams are random epiphenomena, they also stress that dreams only rarely replay or resolve actual life situations.
In our dreams, a theater of the unconscious|Nick Romeo|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
This is the thesis of the epiphenomenal consciousness which Huxley has boldly carried to its uttermost conclusions.
The Mind and the Brain|Alfred Binet

British Dictionary definitions for epiphenomenon

epiphenomenon

/ (ˌɛpɪfɪˈnɒmɪnən) /

noun plural -na (-nə)

a secondary or additional phenomenon; by-product

pathol an unexpected or atypical symptom or occurrence during the course of a disease

Derived forms of epiphenomenon

epiphenomenal, adjectiveepiphenomenally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for epiphenomenon

epiphenomenon

[ ĕp′ə-fĭ-nŏm′ə-nŏn′ ]

An additional condition or symptom in the course of a disease, not necessarily connected with the disease.