Cohort Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How To Use It

If someone were to say you are someone else’s cohort, would you know what it means? Is it a compliment, an insult, or an observation of fact? 

When you know the true meaning of a word, you never have to guess. If you know all the meanings of a word, you are better prepared for any context you might hear it in. 

What Is the Meaning of Cohort?

According to the English dictionary, a cohort can have two meanings. It is used as a noun in both definitions. 

Under the first definition, a cohort is a friend, a colleague, or a companion. It is often spoken with a negative connotation or with a disapproving tone when it is used in this way. 

For example, “You and that cohort of yours seem to spend an awful lot of time loitering outside the neighbor’s house.”

Under the second definition, a cohort is a group of people or individuals being used in a study that has something in common. They could share the same age, the same social class, or anything that might link them into a single category with each other.

For instance, you could say, “The medication appeared to have less of an effect on the people of that age cohort.”

According to this same definition, a cohort could also be defined as a band or group. For example, “When it happened to me too, I took my place in the cohort.”

The word also has a militaristic meaning. Originally a cohort was one of the ten divisions of a legion in ancient Rome. Because of its definition as a division of a Roman legion, the word also means a group of warriors or soldiers.

What Is the Origin of the Word Cohort?

Originally, a cohort was a unit of a Roman legion. A legion was a military unit in the Roman army, and a legion would contain 300 to 600 soldiers. The cohort was a small group of the armed force, and today the word is still used to refer to a group.

Cohort is a Late Middle English word. In recorded text, the word cohort can be traced back to the Middle French cohorte as far back as the 1400s. Before that, the word came from the Latin cohors or Latin cohort, which meant farmyard, armed force, or retinue.

Cohort is also the equivalent of word parts co-, meaning with or together, and hort-, similar to hortus meaning garden.

Over time, the word transitioned from meaning a band of warriors or a company of soldiers in ancient times into meaning a single friend or associate.     

When Do You Use the Word Cohort?

Typically, cohort is a term used to describe another person’s friend or colleague. It can be stated in a way that implies they do not approve of the two people’s relationship.

Prospective Cohort Studies

In research, you may hear the term prospective cohort study. A prospective cohort study refers to a long-term study that tracks a group of people who are similar to each other in one way but differ from each other in other ways. This helps researchers how different factors contribute to a certain outcome.  

These longitudinal studies are crucial to successful research that can help determine risk factors for new diseases. Researchers choose candidates who have one common characteristic, and this consistent statistical factor helps them make determinations about the influence of other factors. These studies are usually done for a long period.

Retrospective Cohort Studies

Conversely, a retrospective cohort study works backward through time. The results have been observed, so this type of study looks for proximate age groupings or other common demographics through retrospective studies that can identify potential risk factors.

An example of these types of studies would be Gen Z, millennial, and Baby Boomer victims of automobile fatalities. 

Cohorts in Biology

In biology, a cohort is a taxonomic group. For example, a cohort might be a subdivision of a subclass of mammals. 

Generational Cohorts

A generational cohort refers to a demographic grouping of people. They share a common experience at a common time interval. For example, there might be a generational cohort of students at a particular grade level during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Educational Cohorts

In education, a cohort is a group of students working through the same curriculum and receiving the same guidance in the classroom.

What Are the Synonyms of the Word Cohort?

Synonyms help us say essentially the same meaning with a different word. Here are a few of the related words or synonyms for the word cohort:

• Comrade
• Companion
• Associate
• Pal
• Company
• Satellite
• Follower
• Disciple
• Friend
• Accomplice
• Sidekick
• Aide
• Assistant
• Ally
• Consociate
• Mate
• Supporter
• Retinue

What Are the Antonyms for the Word Cohort?

Antonyms are words that express the directly opposite meaning of a word. Here are some of the antonyms for the word cohort:

• Enemy
• Foe
• Antagonist
• Opponent
• Adversary

What Are Some Examples of How to Use the Word Cohort?

Here are some examples of how to use cohort in a sentence:

• My son has collected Skeletor and all of his cohorts for his action figure collection.
• Harry Potter and his cohorts helped save the school on several occasions.
• An ancient Roman legion consisted of 10 cohorts.
• The staff members were a close-knit cohort.
• The group of soldiers considered themselves to be like a Roman cohort.
• The study collected baseline data from the cohort.
• What is the cohort for the demographic study?

Conclusion

Now that you know everything there is to know about the word cohort, you can feel comfortable using it in your daily life!

Sources:

1. Cohort Definition & Meaning | Merriam-Webster 
2. Prospective and Retrospective Cohort Studies | BUMC
3. The Knowledge And Perceptions Of Generational Cohorts Of K-5 Elementary Educators Who Use Technology For Teaching And Learning | University of New England