seizure
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/2
Seizure is the broadest and most formal medical term for a sudden episode of abnormal brain activity. Convulsion specifically describes the violent shaking or jerking movements that sometimes accompany a seizure — a person can have a seizure without convulsing. Fit is an informal word used mainly in British English; it can refer to a seizure or to any sudden, uncontrolled episode of symptoms (such as coughing fits). In medical writing, 'seizure' is the preferred term. For example, a doctor would write 'the patient experienced a seizure lasting two minutes,' while a family member might say 'she had a fit.' A convulsion would describe the physical symptom of shaking, not the underlying brain event.
Common collocations
Etymology
Seizure entered English in the 1400s from the verb 'seize', which came from Old French 'seisir' (to take possession of), and ultimately from Medieval Latin 'sacire' (to lay claim to). The original meaning was legal — taking possession of property. By the 1700s, the word was also used medically to describe being 'seized' by a disease or sudden illness, as if the illness had taken hold of the person.