English Explanatory Dictionary

coma

English dictionary entry

Meanings

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

Pronunciation

/ˈkəʊmə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-coma.wav kōʹmə /ˈkoʊmə/

Word forms

coma comas comae

Etymology

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

Related words

comatose persistent vegetative state brain death

Derived words

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