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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Reynolds slipped into a coma just days after Duchamp arrived and died at home at 14 rue Hallé with Duchamp by her side. Karen Chernick, ARTnews.com, 14 Mar. 2025 DuBose, who took a helmet-to-helmet hit from safety Calen Bullock in that Dec. 15 game, said he was induced into a coma as part of the recovery process. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025 And there are gray areas of church law about who runs the church if a pontiff slips into a coma, or otherwise loses consciousness for a long period. Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025 Owen lapsed into a coma and died a few hours later. Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for coma

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coma. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on coma

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