Eclampsia \Ec*lamp"si*a\, n. [NL., from Gr. ? a shining forth, fr. ? to shine forth; ? out + ? to shine.]

(Med.) A fancied perception of flashes of light, a symptom of epilepsy; hence, epilepsy itself; convulsions.

Note: The term is generally restricted to a convulsive affection attending pregnancy and parturition, and to infantile convulsions.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)