grand maln.
/ˌɡrɒn ˈmal/, /ˌɡrɒ̃ ˈmal/, U.S. /ˌɡræn(d) ˈmɑl/ Medicine.
A type of epileptic seizure characterized by the sudden onset of tonic muscular contraction followed by clonic spasms, typically accompanied by a period of unconsciousness; the form of epilepsy characterized by such seizures. Also (loosely): a generalized tonic-clonic seizure from any cause. Frequently attributive. Cf. petit mal n.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > convulsive or paralytic disorders > [noun] > fit or stroke > epilepsy > types of
analepsya1398
static1728
grand mal1833
petit mal1874
pyknolepsy1922
1833 Lancet 13 Apr. 70/1 The grand-mal, or the true epileptic paroxysm, may occur, then, with or without premonitory symptoms.
1898 Brain 21 187 The patient, a man aged 26 years, came under observation..with a history of grand mal of three years' duration.
1946 Life 3 June 129/1 The worst of these is called grand mal, in which the sufferer loses consciousness, twitches and gets blue in the face.
1960 M. Spark Bachelors i. 10 The patient might learn to exercise some control during the petit-mal stage to stand him in good stead during the grand-mal convulsions.
2009 Private Eye 1 May 28/2 It was the trust that..threw in an absurd allegation that she had failed to assist when a patient had a ‘grand mal’ convulsion.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.1833