coma
noun
- deep, prolonged unconsciousness caused by injury or disease
- a condition of stupor or lethargy
noun pl. comae
- Astron. a comet's gaseous cloud surrounding the solid nucleus and forming, with the nucleus, the comet's head
- a bunch of branches, as on the top of some palm trees
- a terminal cluster of bracts on a flowering stem, as in pineapples
- a tuft of hairs at the end of certain seeds
- Photog. a blur caused by the spherical aberration of oblique rays of light passing through a lens
See coma in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(kōˈmə)
noun pl. co·mas A state of deep, often prolonged unconsciousness, usually the result of injury, disease, or poison, in which an individual is incapable of sensing or responding to external stimuli and internal needs.
(kōˈmə)
noun pl. co·mae (-mē) - Astronomy The nebulous luminescent cloud containing the nucleus and constituting the major portion of the head of a comet.
- Botany A usually terminal tuft or cluster, especially a tuft of hairs on a seed, as on a willow or milkseed.
- Physics A diffuse, comet-shaped image of a point source of light or radiation caused by aberration in the optical system.
Related Forms:
Learn more about coma