COMA (comae)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: comae   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does coma mean? 

• COMA (noun)
  The noun COMA has 3 senses:

1. a state of deep and often prolonged unconsciousness; usually the result of disease or injury

2. (botany) a usually terminal tuft of bracts (as in the pineapple) or tuft of hairs (especially on certain seeds)

3. (astronomy) the luminous cloud of particles surrounding the frozen nucleus of a comet; forms as the comet approaches the sun and is warmed

  Familiarity information: COMA used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A state of deep and often prolonged unconsciousness; usually the result of disease or injury

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

coma; comatoseness

Hypernyms ("coma" is a kind of...):

unconsciousness (a state lacking normal awareness of the self or environment)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "coma"):

diabetic coma; Kussmaul's coma (coma that can develop in inadequately treated cases of diabetes mellitus)

hepatic coma (coma that can occur in severe cases of liver disease)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(botany) a usually terminal tuft of bracts (as in the pineapple) or tuft of hairs (especially on certain seeds)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("coma" is a kind of...):

tuft; tussock (a bunch of hair or feathers or growing grass)

Domain category:

botany; phytology (the branch of biology that studies plants)

Derivation:

comal (of certain seeds (such as cotton) having a tuft or tufts of hair)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(astronomy) the luminous cloud of particles surrounding the frozen nucleus of a comet; forms as the comet approaches the sun and is warmed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("coma" is a kind of...):

cloud (any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible)

Domain category:

astronomy; uranology (the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole)

Holonyms ("coma" is a part of...):

comet ((astronomy) a relatively small extraterrestrial body consisting of a frozen mass that travels around the sun in a highly elliptical orbit)

 Context examples 

People may come out of a coma with physical, intellectual, and psychological problems.

(Coma, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Memory problems, behavior changes, vision problems, and poor muscle coordination progress quickly to dementia, coma, and death.

(Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

It was not long before they were reduced to a coma of hunger.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Signs and symptoms include vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, convulsions, and coma.

(HMG-CoA Lyase Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

If it is not treated properly, it may lead to developmental delays, seizures, and coma.

(Holocarboxylase Synthetase Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

It manifests with hyperactivity, paralysis, muscular weakness, crossed eyes, hearing loss, seizures, and coma.

(Neonatal Adrenoleukodystrophy, NCI Thesaurus)

Signs and symptoms include difficulties in feeding and breathing, skin rash, seizures, lethargy, and coma.

(Neonatal Holocarboxylase Synthetase Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

Symptoms include vomiting, lethargy, and coma.

(Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

They include feeding difficulties, lethargy, hypoglycemia, hypotonia, liver abnormalities, heart abnormalities, peripheral neuropathy, coma, and sudden death.

(Mitochondrial Trifunctional Protein Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

If untreated, it may lead to seizures, coma, and death.

(Maple Syrup Urine Disease, NCI Thesaurus)