cohort
KOH-hort
/ˈkoʊ.hɔːrt/
A group of people banded together or treated as a group sharing a characteristic.
In statistics/demography, it specifically means a group born or tracked during a specific time period.
The story behind the word. Originally a Latin military term, a 'cohors' was a tenth of a Roman legion—roughly 400 to 600 soldiers who fought and stayed together. Twentieth-century demographers borrowed the term to describe groups tracked together through time.
Word relationships
- peer group: Peer group emphasizes social equality, whereas cohort emphasizes shared statistical timeframe or trait.
- individual: Refers to a single entity rather than a group tracked together.
Commonly confused with
- cortège: A cortège is a solemn procession (like for a funeral), not a tracked group of people.
Collocations
- birth cohort
- age cohort
- patient cohort
- cohort study
Example sentences
- "The study followed a cohort of children born in 1990 to measure educational outcomes." Sociological study
- "The incoming cohort of medical students was the largest in the university's history." University administration
Memory hook
Think of a Roman legion marching together through time. Group tracked together.
When not to use
Avoid using in formal writing to mean a single accomplice unless following informal modern usage.
Fun facts
- A Roman military legion was made up of ten cohorts.
Related words
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.