How did epilepsy get its name?

According to this source Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word 'Epilepsy': "The word epilepsy is derived from the Greek verb epilambanem, which means "to take hold of or to seize. read more

According to this source Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word 'Epilepsy':"The word epilepsy is derived from the Greek verb epilambanem, which means"to take hold of or to seize." Converted to the Latin epilepsia and later the Old French, epilepsie, late 14th-century English medical texts occasionally referred to the disease as epilensia or epilence. read more

Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word 'Epilepsy' Humans have long suffered from epilepsy, the neurological disorder hallmarked by sudden seizures. Medical historian Howard Markel discusses the condition's names through the millenia, from the"sacred disease" of ancient texts to its description as"the falling sickness" in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. read more