coma
noun
- nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet
- aberration inherent to certain optical designs or due to imperfection in the lens
- state of unconsciousness
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈkəʊmə/ / /ˈkoʊmə/
noun
Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin coma (“hair of the head”), from Ancient Greek κόμη (kómē, “hair”).
- A cloud of dust surrounding the nucleus of a comet.
- A defect characterized by diffuse, pear-shaped images that in an ideal image would appear as points.
- A tuft or bunch, such as the assemblage of branches forming the head of a tree, a cluster of bracts when empty and terminating the inflorescence of a plant, or a tuft of long hairs on certain seeds.