Hypertext Webster Gateway: "epilepsy"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Epilepsy \Ep"i*lep`sy\, n. [L. epilepsia, Gr. ? a seizure, the
``falling sickness,'' fr. ? to take besides, seize, attack;
'epi` upon, besides + ? to take: cf. F. ['e]pilepsie. Cf.
{Catalepsy}.] (Med.)
The ``falling sickness,'' so called because the patient falls
suddenly to the ground; a disease characterized by paroxysms
(or fits) occurring at interval and attended by sudden loss
of consciousness, and convulsive motions of the muscles.
--Dunglison.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
epilepsy
n : a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by
loss of consciousness and convulsions
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