Paul W. answered • 06/02/19
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Harvard and Berkeley: 8 Grad-School Courses in Statistics
Covariates are control variables included in a regression, that is to say, they are all the variables which are neither the outcome nor the inputs of interest. For example, if you wanted to run a regression examining the input of fertilizer applications on the outcome of crop yields, you would probably want to control for other relevant factors, like rainfall and irrigation, hours of sunlight, temperature, etc. These control variables are referred to covariates.
