epiphenomenon
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
epiphenomenon
- /ˌɛpɪfəˈnɒmɪnən/ UK
- /-fɪ-/ UK
- /ˌɛpəfəˈnɑməˌnɑn/ US
- /-nən/ US
- /ˌɛpɪfəˈnɒmɪnə/ UK
- /ˌɛpəfəˈnɑmənə/ US
Where it comes from
From epi- (prefix meaning ‘above, on, over; in addition to’) + phenomenon. Phenomenon is derived from Late Latin phaenomenon (“appearance”), from Ancient Greek φαινόμενον (phainómenon, “thing that appears in one’s view; appearance; phenomenon”), a noun use of the neuter singular form of φαινόμενος (phainómenos), the present middle or passive participle of φαίνω (phaínō, “to cause to appear; to reveal, show, uncover; to expound”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to glow with light, to shine”).
noun epiphenomena · epiphenomenons · epiphaenomenon · epiphænomenon
-
An activity, process, or state that is the result of another; a by-product, a consequence.
Yet I would suggest that philosophical and even medical curiosity are only epiphenomenons of another condition that brought deafness to cultural attention.
Similar: by-product, unintended consequence, side effect
- A mental process or state that is an incidental by-product of physiological events in the brain or nervous system. It is a necessary corollary of the view here advanced that in instinct as such consciousness is a mere epiphenomenon—a by-product, with no bearing whatever on the performance of the activity in so far as it is instinctive.
- A symptom that develops during the course of a disease that is not connected to the disease. EPIPHÆNOMENA, […] Signs in Diſeaſes which appear afterwards.
Translations
Every language
noun activity, process, or state, process or other activity that is the result of another — see also by-product, consequence
| 中文 | 附帶現象 /附带现象 fùdàixiànxiàng, 副現象 /副现象 fùxiànxiàng, 偶發現象 /偶发现象 ǒufāxiànxiàng |
|---|---|
| Français | épiphénomène |
| Ελληνικά | επιφαινόμενο epifainómeno |
noun metal process or state that is an incidental by-product of physiological events in the brain or nervous system
| Español | epifenómeno |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 附帶現象 /附带现象 fùdàixiànxiàng |
| Português | epifenómeno, epifenômeno |
| Français | épiphénomène |
| Deutsch | Epiphänomen, Begleiterscheinung |
| Italiano | epifenomeno |
| Ελληνικά | επιφαινόμενο epifainómeno |
| Русский | эпифеномен epifenomen |
noun symptom that develops during the course of a disease that is not connected to the disease
| Français | épiphénomène |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | επιφαινόμενο epifainómeno |
Talk about this word "epiphenomenon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/epiphenomenon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. epiphenomenon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/epiphenomenon "epiphenomenon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/epiphenomenon.Cite this
@misc{epiphenomenon_2026,
title = {epiphenomenon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/epiphenomenon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
