coma
C1Medical, formal, and occasionally informal (in metaphorical use).
Definition
Meaning
A state of prolonged deep unconsciousness, typically caused by severe illness or injury.
A state of extreme lethargy or inactivity; also, in astronomy, the nebulous, gaseous envelope surrounding the nucleus of a comet.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
In medical contexts, 'coma' is distinct from sleep, sedation, or brain death. It is measured on scales like the Glasgow Coma Scale. In metaphorical use, it implies a total lack of activity or responsiveness.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The primary distinction is phonetic.
Connotations
Both varieties carry the same medical and metaphorical connotations.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties, with slightly higher frequency in medical contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
slip/fall into a comabe in a comacome out of/awaken from a comainduce a comaemerge from a comaVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “in a coma (metaphorically: extremely inactive or unresponsive)”
- “coma-like state”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare; metaphorically for a project or market that is completely inactive (e.g., 'The venture has been in a financial coma for months').
Academic
Common in medical, psychological, and neuroscience literature to describe a clinical condition.
Everyday
Used in discussions of health, accidents, or metaphorically for extreme tiredness or inactivity.
Technical
A precise medical term denoting a specific level of impaired consciousness, often graded by scales (e.g., Glasgow Coma Scale).
Examples
By CEFR Level
- After the accident, he was in a coma.
- She woke up from a coma.
- The doctor said the patient might come out of the coma soon.
- He has been in a coma for three weeks.
- They induced a medical coma to protect her brain after the severe stroke.
- Emerging from a long-term coma requires extensive rehabilitation.
- The Glasgow Coma Scale is used to assess the depth of unconsciousness in such cases.
- His research focuses on neural patterns in patients with persistent vegetative states following coma.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a COMMA (,) in a sentence that creates a long pause – a COMA is like a long pause in consciousness.
Conceptual Metaphor
INACTIVITY/UNRESPONSIVENESS IS A COMA (e.g., 'The economy is in a coma', 'The computer went into a coma').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'комар' (mosquito).
- The Russian medical term 'кома' is a direct equivalent, but be mindful of the stress and pronunciation.
- Avoid translating metaphorical uses of 'coma' literally; use appropriate Russian figurative expressions.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'coma' with 'comma' (punctuation mark).
- Using 'coma' as a verb (e.g., 'He comated' is incorrect; use 'slipped into a coma').
- Incorrect plural: 'comas' (not 'comae' for the medical state).
Practice
Quiz
In medical terminology, what does 'coma' specifically refer to?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Sleep is a natural, cyclical state from which one can be easily aroused. A coma is a pathological state of unconsciousness where the person cannot be awakened and does not respond normally to stimuli.
Generally, individuals in a coma are unaware and do not consciously process sensory input, though some research suggests limited auditory processing may occur; responses to pain are typically reflex-based, not conscious.
Common causes include traumatic brain injury, stroke, severe infection, metabolic disturbances (e.g., diabetic ketoacidosis), oxygen deprivation, poisoning, or complications from illnesses.
The standard plural is 'comas' when referring to the medical condition. In astronomy, the plural for the comet feature can be 'comae', but this is highly specialised.