coma

A state of unconsciousness from which one may not wake up, usually induced by some form of trauma.

Noun astronomy, natural sciences

  1. A cloud of dust surrounding the nucleus of a comet.
  2. A defect characterized by diffuse, pear-shaped images that in an ideal image would appear as points.
  3. A tuft or bunch, such as the assemblage of branches forming the head of a tree, a cluster of bracts when empty and terminating the inflorescence of a plant, or a tuft of long hairs on certain seeds.

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin coma (“hair of the head”), from Ancient Greek κόμη (kómē, “hair”).

Forms

comae

Noun Entry 2

  1. A state of unconsciousness from which one may not wake up, usually induced by some form of trauma.
    • go into a coma
    • slip into a coma
    • come out of a coma

Origin

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κῶμα (kôma, “deep sleep”).

Forms

comas

Related

comatose persistent vegetative state brain death

Derived

comalike comatic comatose coma vigil coma vigile dot-coma food coma hyperosmolar coma hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketoic coma induced coma precoma pseudocoma semicoma turkey coma