Word of the Day

: March 7, 2007

concomitant

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adjective kun-KAH-muh-tunt

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What It Means

: accompanying especially in a subordinate or incidental way

concomitant in Context

Jane is terrified of flying, and she's also not fond of the concomitant annoyances of air travel, like waiting in long security lines.

Did You Know?

"Concomitant" was introduced into English at a time when many people were criticizing the use of Latinate forms in favor of more "native" words from Old English. As a descendant of Latin "concomitari" ("to accompany") and ultimately of "comes," the Latin word for companion, "concomitant" may well have been initially derided as an ostentatious inkhorn term. Indeed, two associated words, the verb "concomitate," meaning "to accompany," and another adjective, "concomitaneous," meaning "of a concomitant nature," didn't survive to accompany "concomitant" into the 18th century.