covariate

[ koh-vair-ee-it, ‐eyt ]
/ koʊˈvɛər i ɪt, ‐ˌeɪt /

noun Statistics.

a continuous control variable that is observed rather than manipulated but can affect the outcome of an experiment or study: You need to adjust for education level and other covariates in interpreting the results.

Origin of covariate

First recorded in 1965–70; co- + variate