Meanings
plural epiphenomenalists
- A proponent of epiphenomenalism.
The epiphenomenalist holds that while mental phenomena are caused to occur by the various activities of the brain, they do not have any causal effects in turn. They are entirely impotent with respect to causal effects on the physical world. They are mere epiphenomena.
1986, Paul M. Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: The MIT Press, →ISBN, page 11
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁épi
- Proto-Hellenic*epí
- Ancient Greekἐπί (epí)
- Ancient Greekἐπῐ- (epĭ-)
- Englishepi-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰh₂nyéti
- Proto-Hellenic*pʰáňňō
- Ancient Greekφαίνω (phaínō)
- Ancient Greekφαινόμενον (phainómenon)
- Late Latinphaenomenon
- Englishphenomenon
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Ancient Greekφαινόμενον (phainómenon)
- Frenchphénomène
- Frenchphénoména
- Englishphenomenal
- Englishepiphenomenal
- Englishepiphenomenalist
From epiphenomenal + -ist.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
epiphenomenalist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epiphenomenalist
“epiphenomenalist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epiphenomenalist. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “epiphenomenalist,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epiphenomenalist.
Source: epiphenomenalist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.