Definitions for "Spurious correlation"
What looks like a link between two things, when the “link” is really caused by a third thing. For example, doctors often own houses, but that is not just because doctors are doctors; it is also because doctors earn a lot of money.
Observed association between two variables that could be attributed to a common, but unmeasured third variable. The adjective “spurious†correctly refers to the inference made from the correlation, not the correlation itself. EX: If A and B are correlated, it is not possible to conclude that (on that fact alone) that A causes B. It is also possible that B causes A or that a C exists that influences both A and B in a systematic fashion. [See correlation coefficient, partial correlation
a correlation between two variables (e.g., between the number of electric motors in the home and grades at school) that does not result from any direct relation between them (buying electric motors will not raise grades) but from their relation to other variables