epiphenomenon

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word epiphenomenon. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word epiphenomenon, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say epiphenomenon in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word epiphenomenon you have here. The definition of the word epiphenomenon will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofepiphenomenon, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

WOTD – 18 November 2021

Etymology

PIE word
*h₁epi

From epi- (prefix meaning ‘above, on, over; in addition to’) +‎ phenomenon.[1] Phenomenon is derived from Late Latin phaenomenon (“appearance”), Latin *phaenomenon (only attested in the plural form phaenomena), 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”),[2] ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to glow with light, to shine”).

The plural epiphenomena is derived from epi- +‎ phenomena.

Pronunciation

Noun

epiphenomenon (plural epiphenomena or (nonstandard) epiphenomenons)

  1. An activity, process, or state that is the result of another; a by-product, a consequence.
    Synonyms: by-product, unintended consequence, side effect
    • 1997, Lennard J. Davis, “Universalizing Marginality: How Europe Became Deaf in the Eighteenth Century”, in Lennard J. Davis, editor, The Disability Studies Reader, New York, N.Y., London: Routledge, →ISBN, part I (Historical Perspectives), page 114:
      Yet I would suggest that philosophical and even medical curiosity are only epiphenomenons of another condition that brought deafness to cultural attention.
    • 1999, Eugene S. Hunn, “Mobility as a Factor Limiting Resource Use on the Columbia Plateau”, in Dale D. Goble, Paul W. Hirt, editors, Northwest Lands, Northwest Peoples: Readings in Environmental History, Seattle, Wash.: University of Washington Press, →ISBN, page 167:
      [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.
    • 2004, Louis de Bernières, Birds Without Wings , chapter 28, second paragraph:
      It is curious that the Russians, calling themselves Christians, and like so many othere nominal christians throughout history, took no notice whatsoeverof the key parable of Jesus Christ himself, which taught that you shall love your neighbor as yourself, and that even those you have despised and hated are your neighbors. This has never made any difference to Christians, since the primary epiphenomena of any religion's foundation are the production and flourishment of hypocrisy, megalomania and psychopathy, and the first casualties of a religion's establishment are the intentions of its founder.
    • 2021, Wieslaw Galus, Janusz Starzyk, “Epilogue”, in Reductive Model of the Conscious Mind (Advances in Human and Social Aspects of Technology), Hershey, Pa.: IGI Global, →ISBN, →ISSN, part 3 (The Artificial Mind), page 285:
      Let's ask the question: Do epiphenomenons of emotions and feelings appear in these artificial brains? If so, where do they appear? It would be difficult to explain how such epiphenomenons might not appear in an artificial neural network, just as it does in a natural network.
  2. (philosophy, psychology) A mental process or state that is an incidental by-product of physiological events in the brain or nervous system.
    • 1894, C[onwy] Lloyd Morgan, “Instinct and Intelligence”, in Havelock Ellis, editor, An Introduction to Comparative Psychology (The Contemporary Science Series), London: Walter Scott, , →OCLC, page 208:
      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.
    • 1900 April, “Art. VIII.—Ward’s ‘Naturalism and Agnosticism.’ Naturalism and Agnosticism. The Gifford Lectures Delivered before the University of Aberdeen in the Years 1896–1989. By James Ward, . 2 vols. (London, 1899.) ”, in The Church Quarterly Review, volume L, number XCIX, London: Spottiswoode & Co., →OCLC, page 133:
      According to this hypothesis, mind is a ‘collateral product’ of the physical, an ‘epiphænomenon’ accompanying, but never causally affecting, the physical series of phænomena.
    • 1902 August, Charles Sedgwick Minot, “The Problem of Consciousness in Its Biological Aspects”, in The Popular Science Monthly, volume LXL, number 4, New York, N.Y.: The Science Press, →OCLC, page 291:
      From the monistic standpoint there is a choice between two possible alternatives; either consciousness is a form of energy, like heat, etc., or it is merely a so-called epiphenomenon. […] It is essential to have a clear notion of what is meant by an epiphenomenon. […] It designates an accompanying incident of a process which is assumed to have no causal relation to the further development of the process. […] For many years I have tried to recognize some actual idea underneath the epiphenomenon hypothesis of consciousness, but it more and more seems clear to me that there is no idea at all, and that the hypothesis is an empty phrase, a subterfuge, which really amounts only to this—we can explain consciousness very easily by merely assuming that it does not require to be explained at all.
  3. (pathology) A symptom that develops during the course of a disease that is not connected to the disease.
    • , London: E. Bell, J. Darby, , →OCLC, column 2:
      EPIPHÆNOMENA, […] Signs in Diſeaſes which appear afterwards.]
    • 1820 February, “Art. V. Monographie des Dégénérations scirrheuses de l’Estomac. Par Frédéric Chardel, D.M. &c. A Paris, 1808. pp. 213. ”, in , editor, The Quarterly Journal of Foreign Medicine and Surgery; and of the Sciences Connected with Them, volume II, number VI, London: for F. C. and J. Rivington, , and J Anderson, , →OCLC, page 164:
      The appetite commonly remains little impaired, but it is conjoined with the fear of taking food. The tongue is generally clean, and the taste natural; a contrary state the author considers and denominates an epiphenomenon.
    • 1845 April, Samuel G. White, “Clinical Lectures and Reports. Philadelphia Hospital. Saturday, January 4, 1845. Clinic of Professor [Robley] Dunglison.”, in Robert M. Huston, editor, The Medical Examiner, and Record of Medical Science, volume I (New Series; volume VIII overall), number IV, Philadelphia, Pa.: Lindsay & Blakiston, , →OCLC, page 210:
      In all cases, the presence of bile in the blood is a mere epiphænomenon, and therefore demands no special attention.
    • 1848, Robley Dunglison, “Diseases of the Nose”, in The Practice of Medicine: A Treatise on Special Pathology and Therapeutics. , 3rd edition, volume II, Philadelphia, Pa.: Lea and Blanchard, →OCLC, book VII (Diseases of the Organs of the Senses), page 352:
      In amenorrhœa, epistaxis is by no means unfrequent; and often relieves the anomalous symptoms, especially those referable to the encephalon, which are the results of the irregular hyperæmia thus induced. The same may be said of it as an epiphænomenon in febrile affections—inflammatory and adynamic,—of which conditions it is often an important symptom.
    • 1882 June, Phil Porter, “Stenosis of the Cervix Uteri”, in E. A. Lodge, Sen’r, editor, The American Observer Medical Monthly: , volume IX (New Series; volume XIX overall), Detroit, Mich.: E. A. Lodge, Sen’r, , →OCLC, page 280:
      If a lady patient comes to your office and complains of severe backache, weight in the rectum, and a general bearing down, as she will call it, and has leucorrhœa with dysmenorrhœa, nervous disturbances, lame and difficult locomotion, menorrhagia, dyspareunia, pelvic neuralgia, epigastric depression, gastric derangement, uterine colic or tenesmus, sterility and many other symptoms that are epiphænomena of their own, do not, I beg of you, sit up very late, looking for the indicated remedy, for most likely you have a perfect case of retroversion, which is producing all of these annoying symptoms, by creating congestion of the uterine body, obstructing the cervical canal, and causing pressure on the rectum, congestion of the ovaries, and reflex nervous manifestations.

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ “epiphenomenon, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2019; “epiphenomenon, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ “phenomenon, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2021; “phenomenon, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia