Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

petit mal

/ˌpɛti ˈmal/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.09 in modern English

Syllables: pe-tit -mal
IPA: /ˌpɛti ˈmal/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A form of epilepsy where the seizures are characterized as minor, the person becomes vacant or unaware, but not involving spasms and unconsciousness. These seizures are usually brief, lasting up to 30 seconds, and may include twitching. A formal medical term would be absence seizures.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Petit mal seizures are also known as absence seizures, which cause a loss of consciousness that is usually brief and barely noticeable. The neurons in a normal brain communicate by firing tiny electric signals."

Etymology

Borrowed from French petit mal (literally “little illness”).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: petit mal

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˌpɛti ˈmal/

Usage

Uncountable

Frequently Paired Words

grand mal

Synonyms

epilepsia minor petit mal epilepsy

Questions

How do you pronounce petit mal?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpɛti ˈmal/.
What does petit mal mean?: A form of epilepsy where the seizures are characterized as minor, the person becomes vacant or unaware, but not involving spasms and unconsciousness. These seizures are usually brief, lasting up to 30 seconds, and may include twitching. A formal medical term would be absence seizures.
Where does petit mal come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce petit mal

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “petit mal”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌpɛti ˈmal/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “petit mal”.
Repeat and practice — Say “petit mal” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.