coma

1 of 2

noun (1)

co·​ma ˈkō-mə How to pronounce coma (audio)
1
: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
2
: a state of mental or physical sluggishness : torpor

coma

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural comae ˈkō-ˌmē How to pronounce coma (audio)
-ˌmī
1
: a tufted bunch (as of branches, bracts, or seed hairs)
2
: the head of a comet consisting of a cloud of gas and dust and usually containing a nucleus
3
: an optical aberration in which the image of a point source is a comet-shaped blur
comatic adjective

Examples of coma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The singer died after being in a coma following emergency surgery for an arterial tear. Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 Teen Allegedly Beat Mom with Bat and Slit Her Throat Before Sister Discovered Dead Body As a result of the vicious attack, the victim suffered two heart attacks and is now in a coma. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Nevertheless, the Spanish media continues to report that Kate is in a coma, and many in the public still believe the story despite the palace’s debunking it. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024 Madonna opened up during a tour stop last week about being hospitalized with a bacterial infection and being in a coma for four days last June. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 Murphy plays a slender and soulful bicycle courier who wakes up from a coma to discover that the world has been upended by a virus that turns people into inhuman, ravenous monsters. Danny Horn, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024 Critics condemned the action as aiding a man of privilege and connections while inflicting further pain on the family of Ariel Young, the young girl who spent 11 days in a coma following the collision. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Besides excess urination, the symptoms of water intoxication can include feeling irritable, lethargic, more easily distractible or confused, vomiting, nausea, and in most critical cases, seizures and comas or even death, Bober said. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024 Baker in a statement on Saturday said Parson did not contact those directly affected by the case, including the family of Ariel Young, the 5-year-old girl who spent 11 days in a coma following the crash. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coma.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

New Latin, from Greek kōma deep sleep

Noun (2)

Latin, hair, from Greek komē

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1669, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of coma was in 1646

Dictionary Entries Near coma

Cite this Entry

“Coma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coma. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

coma

1 of 2 noun
co·​ma ˈkō-mə How to pronounce coma (audio)
: a sleeplike state of unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison

coma

2 of 2 noun
plural comae -ˌmē How to pronounce coma (audio)
-ˌmī
: the head of a comet made up of a cloud of gas and dust and usually containing a nucleus
Etymology

Noun

scientific Latin, from Greek kōma "deep sleep"

Noun

from Latin coma "hair," from Greek komē "hair" — related to comet

Medical Definition

coma

noun
co·​ma ˈkō-mə How to pronounce coma (audio)
: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
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