petit mal
1
9.0
- noun
- /ˌpəˌtiˈmäl/
- Archaic
:
crisis de ausencia
- During the class, she experienced a brief petit mal seizure and stopped responding for a few seconds.
Examples
-
Apnea and staring spells can be an indication of a petit mal seizure.
Blog text (19) -
The student, a petit mal epileptic, had experienced a brief eye-fluttering seizure.
Fiction book (1997) -
But apnea can be an indication of a petit mal seizure, although because a software developer and Dr. Buttram say that it's true, then it must be false?
Blog text (19) -
Lilady, the link to Dr. Buttram, in reference to apnea and staring spells being the result of a petit mal seizure, I could find no mention of either "apnea" nor "staring" in the included citation.
Blog text (19) -
"Lilady, the link to Dr. Buttram, in reference to apnea and staring spells being the result of a petit mal seizure, I could find no mention of either "apnea" nor "staring" in the included citation.
Blog text (19) -
His doctor explained that a petit mal seizure often involves a brief lapse in consciousness without any convulsions.
-
The teacher was concerned when the student had a petit mal seizure during the test, as he suddenly stared blankly for a moment.
Synonyms
190
5.5
A sudden attack that makes the body shake or lose awareness
1
7.5
A short, sudden moment when a person stares blankly and does not respond, often with blinking or twitching
Short episodes of lost awareness without strong body shaking
A brief loss of awareness when someone stares blankly for a few seconds
Antonyms
- Specialized
6
7.4
A severe epileptic seizure that makes a person lose consciousness and have strong body jerks
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
petit + mal
This is a medical borrowing from French whose literal parts ('petit' = small; 'mal' is not a standard English word here) do not indicate a brief epileptic seizure. Even if a learner knew the constituents, they would not be able to derive the specialized clinical meaning, so the expression is idiomatic and unpredictable.
Etymology
Petit mal comes from the French words petit and mal, which mean 'small' and 'illness'. Doctors used the phrase for very short seizures that make someone look like they are daydreaming, so today petit mal means a 'brief loss of awareness'.