Etymology Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κῶμα (kôma, “deep sleep”).
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A state of unconsciousness from which one may not wake up, usually induced by some form of trauma.
go into a coma
slip into a coma
3 more examples
come out of a coma
An a aphrodisiac, it results in santonin poisoning, followed by coma and death.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 215:
I wonder if a person who comes out of a coma feels refreshed and well rested.2004, George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 208:
Etymology Learned borrowing from Latin coma (“hair of the head”), from Ancient Greek κόμη (kómē, “hair”).
1
Astronomy, Natural sciences A cloud of dust surrounding the nucleus of a comet.
2
Engineering, Natural sciences, Optics, Physical sciences, Physics A defect characterized by diffuse, pear-shaped images that in an ideal image would appear as points.
3
Biology, Botany, Natural sciences A tuft or bunch, such as the assemblage of branches forming the head of a tree, a cluster of bracts when empty and terminating the inflorescence of a plant, or a tuft of long hairs on certain seeds.