mə noun, plural co·mas.
a state of prolonged unconsciousness, including a lack of response to stimuli, from which it is impossible to rouse a person.
Origin:
1640–50; < Greek kôma deep sleep
1640–50; < Greek kôma deep sleep
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun, plural co·mae 
[-mee] .
[-mee] . 1.
Astronomy. the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet.
2.
Optics. a monochromatic aberration of a lens or other optical system in which the image from a point source cannot be brought into focus, the image of a point having the shape of a comet.
3.
Botany.
a.
a tuft of silky hairs at the end of a seed.
b.
the leafy crown of a tree; cluster of leaves at the end of a stem.
c.
a terminal cluster of bracts, as in the pineapple.
Origin:
1660–70; < Latin: hair < Greek kómē
1660–70; < Latin: hair < Greek kómē
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To coma
00:10
Coma
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
coma1 (ˈkəʊmə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -mas | |
| a state of unconsciousness from which a person cannot be aroused, caused by injury to the head, rupture of cerebral blood vessels, narcotics, poisons, etc | |
| [C17: from medical Latin, from Greek kōma heavy sleep; related to Greek koitē bed, perhaps to Middle Irish cuma grief] | |
| coma2 (ˈkəʊmə) | |
| —n , pl -mae | |
| 1. | astronomy the luminous cloud surrounding the frozen solid nucleus in the head of a comet, formed by vaporization of part of the nucleus when the comet is close to the sun |
| 2. | botany |
| a. a tuft of hairs attached to the seed coat of some seeds | |
| b. the terminal crown of leaves of palms and moss stems | |
| 3. | optics a type of lens defect characterized by the formation of a diffuse pear-shaped image from a point object |
| [C17: from Latin: hair of the head, from Greek komē] | |
| 'comal2 | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
coma
1646, from Gk. koma (gen. komatos) "deep sleep." Comatose first recorded 1755.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
coma co·ma (kō'mə)
n.
A state of profound unconsciousness in which an individual is incapable of sensing or responding to external stimuli.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| coma 1 (kō'mə) Pronunciation Key
Plural comas A state of deep unconsciousness, usually resulting from brain trauma or metabolic disease, in which an individual is incapable of sensing or responding to external stimuli. |
| coma 2 (kō'mə) Pronunciation Key
Plural comae (kō'mē)
|
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
coma [(koh-muh)]An abnormal state of deep unconsciousness. A coma may occur as the result of trauma to the head, disease (such as meningitis, stroke, or diabetes mellitus), or poisoning.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Yet if not dead, there are many signs that separatism has slumped into a deep coma.
Fluid builds up in the lungs and the brain swells, leading to confusion and even coma.
Hearing is an early sense to develop and often the last to be lost-some people in a coma can still hear.
Doctors put him into a coma and performed emergency neurosurgery.
Image for coma
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