eclampsia
/ɪˈklæmp.si.ə/ noun
Forms eclampsias eclampsy
- noun (pathology) A complication of pregnancy characterized by seizures and coma due to hypertension.
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin eclampsia, from French éclampsie, from Ancient Greek ἔκλᾰμψῐς (éklămpsĭs, “sudden development, violent onset”, literally “brightness”), from ἐκλᾰ́μπω (eklắmpō, “to shine or beam forth; to burst forth violently”) + -σῐς (-sĭs, nominal suffix).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A fancied perception of flashes of light, a symptom of epilepsy; hence, epilepsy itself; convulsions.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “eclampsia”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details