Coma
/ˈkoʊ.mə/noun
A deep state of prolonged unconsciousness.
Did you know?The medical sense comes from Greek kōma, meaning a deep sleep or stupor, and it entered modern medicine through Latin long before it became a hospital term.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
κῶμα (kōma)
“deep sleep, stupor”
Late Latin
Latin
coma
“deep sleep, stupor”
16th Century
English
coma
“deep sleep or stupor”
18th–19th Century
English
coma
“a state of profound unconsciousness in medicine”