PETIT MAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does petit mal mean? 

• PETIT MAL (noun)
  The noun PETIT MAL has 2 senses:

1. epilepsy characterized by paroxysmal attacks of brief clouding of consciousness (and possibly other abnormalities)

2. a seizure of short duration characterized by momentary unconsciousness and local muscle spasms or twitching

  Familiarity information: PETIT MAL used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PETIT MAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Epilepsy characterized by paroxysmal attacks of brief clouding of consciousness (and possibly other abnormalities)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

epilepsia minor; petit mal; petit mal epilepsy

Context example:

she has been suffering from petit mal since childhood

Hypernyms ("petit mal" is a kind of...):

epilepsy (a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by loss of consciousness and convulsions)

Meronyms (parts of "petit mal"):

absence; absence seizure (the occurrence of an abrupt, transient loss or impairment of consciousness (which is not subsequently remembered), sometimes with light twitching, fluttering eyelids, etc.; common in petit mal epilepsy)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A seizure of short duration characterized by momentary unconsciousness and local muscle spasms or twitching

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

epilepsia minor; petit mal

Context example:

the girl was frightened by her first petit mal

Hypernyms ("petit mal" is a kind of...):

epileptic seizure (convulsions accompanied by impaired consciousness)

 Context examples 

Although the exact mechanism of action of methsuximide is unclear, it is thought to increase the seizure threshold and suppress the paroxysmal three-cycle-per-second spike-and-wave pattern seen with absence (petit mal) seizures.

(Methsuximide, NCI Thesaurus)