Word
epilepsy
Phoneticsepilep·sy
US/ˈɛpəˌɫɛpsi/
UK/ˈɛpɪlˌɛpsi/
Definition
n. a medical condition that affects the brain and causes a person to have seizures. These seizures are sudden bursts of electrical activity that can cause shaking or loss of consciousness.
n. a neurological disorder characterised by recurrent, unprovoked seizures resulting from abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
Examples
“He takes daily medication to manage his epilepsy.”
“After being diagnosed with epilepsy, she worked with her doctor to identify specific triggers that might cause a seizure.”
“Advances in neurology have led to a better understanding of epilepsy, allowing for more targeted treatments that significantly reduce the frequency of episodes for many patients.”
Examples
simple
“He takes daily medication to manage his epilepsy.”
contextual
“After being diagnosed with epilepsy, she worked with her doctor to identify specific triggers that might cause a seizure.”
complex
“Advances in neurology have led to a better understanding of epilepsy, allowing for more targeted treatments that significantly reduce the frequency of episodes for many patients.”
Usage
Usually uncountable when referring to the condition; can be countable when referring to specific types of the disorder.
Real-World Examples
“Scientists could use it to investigate how signals travel through different layers of the brain during processes involving epilepsy, memory, and decision-making.” “Some drugs for people with epilepsy and Parkinson's can block sweating and make it harder for the body to cool itself.” 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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/epilepsy