coma
1a state of prolonged unconsciousness, including a lack of response to stimuli, from which it is impossible to rouse a person.
Origin of coma
1Words Nearby coma
Other definitions for coma (2 of 2)
Astronomy. the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet.
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.
Botany.
a tuft of silky hairs at the end of a seed.
the leafy crown of a tree; cluster of leaves at the end of a stem.
a terminal cluster of bracts, as in the pineapple.
Origin of coma
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use coma in a sentence
A new objective marker like this could help to improve the practice of anesthesia and treatments for coma patients.
Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Hold Clues to Persistent Mysteries | Elizabeth Landau | February 8, 2021 | Quanta MagazineHe has been jailed more than ten times, spent hundreds of days in police custody since 2011, and was left in a coma after being poisoned by a powerful nerve agent last year.
'His Fight Is in Russia.' Why Navalny Flew Home Straight Into Putin's Clutches | Madeline Roache | January 18, 2021 | TimeSilca was transported to the hospital and remained in a coma until he died a month later.
Morning Report: Obscure Sheriff Review Board Under Scrutiny | Voice of San Diego | December 3, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoSilva was transported to the hospital and remained in a coma until he died a month later.
Obscure Sheriff’s Review Board Gets New Scrutiny in Court | Ashly McGlone | December 3, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoWith Shonray in a medically induced coma, Shonte checked in with her sister’s nurses daily and visited twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday.
Two School Districts Had Different Mask Policies. Only One Had a Teacher on a Ventilator. | by Annie Waldman and Heather Vogell | November 23, 2020 | ProPublica
The peace process is in a coma; and ISIS, Hamas, Assad, Hezbollah, and the Iranian mullahs make Israel look like the good guys.
The Inside Story of U.S. Meddling in Israel’s Elections | Aaron David Miller | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEverything changes when Rick slips into a coma after being shot while pursuing a criminal.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero | Regina Lizik | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFor Rick, who awakens from his coma months after the dead have risen, the world changes overnight.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero | Regina Lizik | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile he was in a coma for seven days, his consciousness entered a series of transcendent realms.
Nine months later, he awakens from his coma with washboard abs and the ability to run really fast.
‘The Flash’ Review: Teen Angst Gets a Comic Book Quickie | Sujay Kumar | October 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn diabetes its presence is a grave symptom and often forewarns of approaching coma.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddHe then retired into solitude near coma, passing his time in manual labour, prayer, and study.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle | C. King EleyIt's more of a coma, something like the hibernation of a bear or a possum.
Islands of Space | John W CampbellI am glad to have been aroused by so sympathetic a spirit from the coma of thirty years.
My New Curate | P.A. SheehanThe fatal coma may last even when the person has been removed from the gas from hours to days.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter Blyth
British Dictionary definitions for coma (1 of 2)
/ (ˈkəʊmə) /
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
Origin of coma
1British Dictionary definitions for coma (2 of 2)
/ (ˈkəʊmə) /
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
botany
a tuft of hairs attached to the seed coat of some seeds
the terminal crown of leaves of palms and moss stems
optics a type of lens defect characterized by the formation of a diffuse pear-shaped image from a point object
Origin of coma
2Derived forms of coma
- comal, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for coma (1 of 2)
[ kō′mə ]
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.
Scientific definitions for coma (2 of 2)
[ kō′mə ]
Astronomy The brightly shining cloud of gas that encircles the nucleus and makes up the major portion of the head of a comet near the Sun. As a comet moves along its orbit away from the Sun, the gas and dust of the coma dissipate, leaving only the nucleus. A coma can have a diameter of up to 100,000 km (62,000 mi.). See more at comet.
Physics A diffuse, comet-shaped image of a point source of light or radiation caused by aberration in a lens or mirror. The image appears progressively elongated with distance from the center of the field of view.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for 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 New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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