Epilepsy \Ep"i*lep`sy\, n. [L. epilepsia, Gr. ? a seizure, the ``falling sickness,'' fr. ? to take besides, seize, attack; 'epi` upon, besides + ? to take: cf. F. ['e]pilepsie. Cf. Catalepsy.]

(Med.) The ``falling sickness,'' so called because the patient falls suddenly to the ground; a disease characterized by paroxysms (or fits) occurring at interval and attended by sudden loss of consciousness, and convulsive motions of the muscles. --Dunglison.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)