contemporaneous

Contemporaneous is an adjective used to describe something that exists or occurs in the same time period as something else. It is often employed to compare events, artifacts, documents, or phenomena that originate within the same historical or geological timeframe. When two things are contemporaneous, their timing is simultaneous or close enough to be considered the same period within a given degree of precision.

The term is distinct from contemporary, which can describe things belonging to the present time or living at the same time as someone else. Contemporaneous emphasizes simultaneous timing relative to a reference point, whereas contemporary can refer to broader notions of modernity or current relevance. In scholarly writing, contemporaneous timing may be reported within the margin of error of dating methods or indicators.

Common uses appear in archaeology, history, geology, and finance. Examples include: “The inscriptions are contemporaneous with the statue,” “Two volcanic events were contemporaneous,” or “The notes were issued contemporaneous with the market expansion.” The phrase contemporaneous with is standard and may be used with or without a following reference, depending on the sentence.

Etymology: contemporaneous derives from Latin contemporaneus, formed from con- ‘with’ and tempus ‘time.’ It is a precise term that helps distinguish simultaneous timing from other kinds of temporal relationships.