coma

1 of 2

noun (1)

co·​ma ˈkō-mə 

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 

-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

kō-ˈma-tik 

adjective

Examples of coma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The 5-year-old was in a coma for three weeks and required six months of hospital treatment, according to DHS. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026

Farès was found unconscious in a swimming pool last week and had been in a coma after. —Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026

Gould spent the next two days in a coma in the intensive care unit, on a ventilator. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026

She was then treated by firefighters and transported to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, where she was placed in an induced coma. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 18 Apr. 2026

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

Phrases Containing coma

• food coma

Rhymes for coma

• chroma
• homa
• loma
• phoma
• soma
• stoma
• stroma
• toma
• adenocarcinoma
• choriocarcinoma
• pheochromocytoma
• ambystoma

Kids Definition

coma

1 of 2 noun

co·​ma ˈkō-mə 

: a sleeplike state of unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison

coma

2 of 2 noun

plural comae -ˌmē 

-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 

: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison