Epilepsy
//ˈɛpɪˌlɛpsi// noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A medical condition in which the sufferer experiences seizures (or convulsions) and blackouts. countable, uncountable
"Epilepsies, or fallings and reelings, and beastly vomitings. The least of these, even when the tongue begins to be untied, is a degree of drunkenness."
- 2 a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by loss of consciousness and convulsions wordnet
Example
More examples"Certain conditions may trigger previously undetected epileptic symptoms even in persons who have no history of prior seizures or epilepsy."
Etymology
Since 16th century; borrowed from French épilepsie, from Latin epilēpsia, from Ancient Greek ἐπιληψίᾱ (epilēpsíā), from ἐπιλαμβάνω (epilambánō, “I seize”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “upon”) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “I take”). Displaced native Old English fiellesēocnes (literally “falling sickness”).
Related phrases
More for "epilepsy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.