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epileptic

American  
[ep-uh-lep-tik] / ˌɛp əˈlɛp tɪk /

adjective

  1. pertaining to or symptomatic of epilepsy.


noun

  1. a person affected by epilepsy.

epileptic British  
/ ˌɛpɪˈlɛptɪk /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or having epilepsy

"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

noun

  1. a person who has epilepsy

"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

Usage

Rather than talking about an epileptic or epileptics , it is better to talk about a person with epilepsy and people with epilepsy

Other Word Forms

  • antiepileptic adjective
  • epileptically adverb
  • nonepileptic adjective
  • postepileptic adjective

Etymology

Origin of epileptic

First recorded in 1600–10; from Late Latin epilēpticus, from Greek epilēptikós, from epílēpt(os) ( epilepsy ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At first, the acting student thought the lesion was just a result of biting her tongue during an epileptic seizure, but doctors decided to biopsy the area and found stage two squamous cell carcinoma.

From BBC

Bailey said she hoped as well as raising funds, the match would raise awareness of how people can help someone who has an epileptic seizure.

From BBC

Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa told the board Tuesday that two of the people hospitalized had epileptic seizures and another had a “cardiac event.”

From Los Angeles Times

They said she had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel, which caused her to lose control of the vehicle that then crashed into the school.

From BBC

“Ah, this odious swindle, human life,” he swore, after his daughter Jean endured a major epileptic seizure.

From Los Angeles Times