epiphænomenon

See also: epiphaenomenon

English

Etymology

From epi- +‎ phænomenon.

Noun

epiphænomenon (plural epiphænomena)

1. Obsolete spelling of epiphenomenon
   • [1721, N[athan] Bailey, “EPIPHÆNOMENA”, in An Universal Etymological English Dictionary: […], London: […] E. Bell, J. Darby, […], →OCLC, column 2:

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

   • 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.

   • 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.) [book review]”, 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.