co-occurring
UK[ˌkəʊ əˈkɜːrɪŋ]US[ˌkoʊ əˈkɜːrɪŋ]
adj
Happening or existing at the same time or place.
Morpheme Breakdown
co
occur
ing
co
together
occur
happen
ing
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'co-occurring' is a modern English formation built from classical components. The prefix 'co-', from Latin 'com-', signifies joint action. The verb root 'occur' originates from Latin 'occurrere', meaning 'to run to meet' (from 'ob-' (toward) + 'currere' (to run)), which evolved to mean 'to happen' or 'to be found'. The suffix '-ing' is a native English participial ending. Thus, the literal construction 'running together to meet' elegantly evolved into the modern abstract sense of events or phenomena happening or being found simultaneously.
Analysis
Structure: co (together) + occur (happen) + ing (adjective suffix)
- co: A prefix of Latin origin (from 'com-'), meaning 'together', 'with', or 'jointly'. It functions as a combining form.
- 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.
- ing: A suffix of Old English origin ('-ende', '-ing'), used to form present participles and adjectives from verbs, indicating an action or state.
Examples
Depression and anxiety are often co-occurring conditions.
The study examined the co-occurring symptoms of the two diseases.
Several factors may be co-occurring to create this complex situation.