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
Its coma is about 130,000 miles (209,000 kilometers) in diameter and its tail extends around 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) into space. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 After starring in 28 Days Later (2002) and sitting out the 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, Cillian Murphy reprises his role in 28 Years Later as Jim, a former bicycle courier who previously woke from a coma to find the ‘Rage Virus’ has decimated London. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2024 Two fans in Dodgers jerseys were convicted of drunkenly attacking Stow in a parking lot outside Dodger Stadium, punching and kicking the father of two, fracturing his skull and leaving him with brain damage and in a coma for nine months. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024 The shocking news out of this summer’s Olympic break-dancing competition in Paris wasn’t that a female Australian competitor had hopped and jerked around like Uma Thurman being revived from a drug coma in Pulp Fiction. Christian Schneider, National Review, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for coma 

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 3 Nov. 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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