co-occur
UK[ˌkəʊ əˈkɜː(r)]US[ˌkoʊ əˈkɜːr]
v
To happen or exist at the same time or in the same place.
Morpheme Breakdown
co
occur
co
together
occur
happen
Etymology
The verb 'co-occur' is a modern English formation, combining the Latin-derived prefix 'co-' with the verb 'occur'. The prefix 'co-' (from Latin 'com-') signifies joint action or association. The root 'occur' originates from the Latin 'occurrere', meaning 'to run to meet' ('ob-' meaning 'towards' + 'currere' meaning 'to run'). The literal sense of running together to meet evolved into the abstract meaning of events happening or appearing together. Thus, 'co-occur' logically builds on this foundation to specifically denote two or more phenomena happening or being found simultaneously.
Analysis
Structure: co (together) + occur (happen)
- co: A prefix of Latin origin (from 'com-'), meaning 'together', 'jointly', or 'with'. It functions as a modifier indicating association.
- occur: A verb of Latin origin (from 'occurrere'), meaning 'to run to meet', 'to happen', or 'to present itself'. It functions as the core lexical root of the word.
Examples
High stress and poor diet often co-occur, creating a cycle that's hard to break.
These two linguistic features rarely co-occur in the same sentence.
The study aimed to identify which symptoms co-occur most frequently in patients.