Epiphenomenon

Quick meaning: Epiphenomenon is a noun meaning An activity, process, or state that is the result of another; a by-product, a consequence.

Meaning

An activity, process, or state that is the result of another; a by-product, a consequence.

More Meanings

1. (philosophy, psychology) A mental process or state that is an incidental by-product of physiological events in the brain or nervous system.
2. (pathology) A symptom that develops during the course of a disease that is not connected to the disease.

Example Sentences

EPIPHÆNOMENA, […] Signs in Diſeaſes which appear afterwards.

Yet I would suggest that philosophical and even medical curiosity are only epiphenomenons of another condition that brought deafness to cultural attention.

According to this hypothesis, mind is a ‘collateral product’ of the physical, an ‘epiphænomenon’ accompanying, but never causally affecting, the physical series of phænomena.

[R]esource conservation is an epiphenomenon of warfare: a no-man's land between two warring tribes becomes a wildlife refuge because hunters do not visit the area for fear of becoming casualties in the war.

Word Forms

• epiphenomena
• epiphenomenons
• epiphaenomenon

Synonyms for epiphenomenon

Depending on context, synonyms include by-product, side effect.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include by-product, symphenomenon, resultant, subphenomenon, consequence, side effect.

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