epileptic

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌɛpɪˈlɛptɪk/ UK /ˌɛpɪˈlɛptɪk/ See IPA manual

Freq #24057

Meanings

1

adj
relating to epilepsy or involving seizures caused by epilepsy

The patient received immediate care after an epileptic seizure.
2

noun
dated and often avoided: a person who has epilepsy

Modern medical writing usually says 'a person with epilepsy' rather than 'an epileptic.'

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · relating to epilepsy or... seizure-related

Word family

Derived forms epilepticallynonepilepticpostepileptic

Related forms epilepsy seizure convulsion

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

epileptic seizure
a seizure associated with epilepsy and abnormal electrical activity in the brain

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Greek epileptikos, 'liable to seizure,' from epilambanein, 'to seize or take hold of.' The noun use labels a person by the condition and is now commonly replaced by person-first wording.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style

External links

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