concomitent

Concomitant (often misspelled as concomitent) is an English term meaning accompanying or occurring at the same time. As an adjective, it describes something that exists together with another thing, such as a concomitant symptom or a concomitant medication. As a noun, a concomitant is something that accompanies another thing.

Originating from Latin comitāns, meaning “accompanying,” the form comes from con- “together” and comit-, related to the idea of a companion. In medical and scientific usage, concomitant refers to features or conditions that accompany a disease or treatment but are not necessarily causally related.

Usage is common in medicine, pharmacology, and research reporting. It helps distinguish between associations that occur alongside a primary condition and those that are causally linked. For example, one might report a concomitant symptom such as fatigue alongside a primary illness, or refer to concomitant medications taken concurrently with another treatment. The term can describe coexisting diseases, symptoms, or therapies used at the same time, but it does not by itself establish a causal relationship.

Spelling note: “Concomitant” is the standard English form; “concomitent” is not widely accepted and is typically regarded as a misspelling or nonstandard variant, potentially arising from non-English sources.

See also: concomitance, concomitantly.