*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of coma

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κῶμα (kôma, “deep sleep”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A state of unconsciousness from which one may not wake up, usually induced by some form of trauma.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κῶμα (kôma, “deep sleep”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "grc:κῶμα<t:deep sleep>",
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    [
      "κῶμα",
      "κῶμα#Ancient_Greek"
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  "lexical": [
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A cloud of dust surrounding the nucleus of a comet. · A defect characterized by diffuse, pear-shaped images that in an ideal image would appear as points. · 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.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Ancient Greek κόμη (kómē)bor. Latin comalbor. English coma Learned borrowing from Latin coma (“hair of the head”), borrowed from Ancient Greek κόμη (kómē, “hair of the head”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    [
      "image",
      "image"
    ],
    [
      "wide-angle lens",
      "wide-angle lens"
    ],
    [
      "turmeric",
      "turmeric"
    ],
    [
      "magenta",
      "magenta"
    ],
    [
      "bract",
      "bract"
    ],
    [
      "milkweed",
      "milkweed"
    ]
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for coma →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y29tYQ