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absence seizure

absence seizure

2 7.5
A short, sudden moment when a person stares blankly and does not respond, often with blinking or twitching
  • noun
  • /ˈæbsəns ˈsiːʒər/
  • Specialized
: crisis de ausencia
  • They learned that absence seizures often appear as moments where individuals stare off into space without being aware.

And it was my actual, my first absence seizure that I realized that I had.

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Examples

  • During the presentation, she had an absence seizure, causing her to blink rapidly and stare blankly for a few seconds.

  • And it was my actual, my first absence seizure that I realized that I had.

  • To prove the need for the surgery, House proves to the team that Lane does not have hearing loss, but is instead having multiple brief absence seizures.

    Blog text (16)
  • He calls these epileptic absence seizures.

    Academic text (2006)
  • He has Lennox-Gastaut seizures, absence seizures, and he too has been in (absence) status epilepticus.

    Blog text (19)
  • Also, if I wanted to get nitpicky, absence seizures can occur mid-sentence (or song) as they did, but they do not go unnoticed by the patient.

    Blog text (16)
  • They can check for subclinical or absence seizures that make it seem like a child is "drifting off into space" or not comprehending, when what's really happening is the brain "checks out" while having a seizure for a few seconds.

    Blog text (4)
  • Human examples documented in cases of epileptic absence seizures and parasomnia violence episodes don't contradict this paradigm of triggered patterned behavior.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The teacher noticed that the student was having an absence seizure when he suddenly stopped responding.

Synonyms

absence
vsabsence seizure
  • Specialized
2 9.3

A short time when a person stares blankly, does not respond, and sometimes makes small movements

is the same clinical event expressed in the key description
petit mal
vsabsence seizure
  • Archaic
1 9.0

A short seizure that makes someone suddenly stop paying attention and stare

is the same brief impaired consciousness event the key defines
petit mal epilepsy
vsabsence seizure
  • Archaic
1 6.2

Short episodes when a person briefly stops responding and stares, often without shaking

is identical in meaning and matches the key description
subclinical absence
vsabsence seizure
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A very brief seizure that shows only on a brain activity test and causes no clear symptoms

describes observable brief impaired consciousness rather than EEG only findings
epilepsia minor
vsabsence seizure
  • Archaic
9.9

Short episodes of lost awareness without strong body shaking

focuses specifically on the brief impaired consciousness episodes in the key
pure absence
vsabsence seizure
  • Specialized
9.7

A short, sudden loss of awareness with no other symptoms

is the general clinical description that does not stress EEG details
simple absence
vsabsence seizure
  • Specialized
7.5

A brief loss of awareness when someone stares blankly for a few seconds

is the broader description that omits EEG specifics
complex absence
vsabsence seizure
  • Specialized
9.4

A short seizure that makes you lose awareness and causes muscle weakness or sudden movements

describes the simpler brief impaired awareness without additional symptoms

Antonyms

380 3.2

Knowing about something or noticing it

10 2.9

A state of being watchful and ready to notice and act on danger or problems

How Severe

tonic epilepsy
  • Specialized
6.9
focal seizure
  • Specialized
1 5.6
complex absence
  • Specialized
9.4
absence seizure
  • Specialized
2 7.5
simple absence
  • Specialized
7.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

absence + seizure

Both constituents contribute directly to the compound meaning: 'absence' (a brief lapse of consciousness) combined with 'seizure' (a sudden episode of abnormal brain activity) yields a brief, sudden episode of impaired consciousness. This is a compositional, medical noun compound following predictable semantics, so a learner who knows the two constituent senses can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Absence seizure is a medical name made from absence (meaning 'not there') and seizure (meaning a 'sudden attack'). The picture is of a person suddenly going blank for a few seconds and seeming 'not there', which is why the term means a brief loss of awareness.