microsleep means A brief period of sleep, usually of a few seconds, that may result from sleep deprivation or various medical conditions. It carries an Arena rating of 1327, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, microsleep ranks #715 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #2,021 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #2,595 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #3,067 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
Why “microsleep” is a great word
A brief, involuntary episode of sleep lasting seconds, typically arising from severe fatigue or sleep deprivation. Formed within English by compounding, from the combining form micro- (from Greek *mikros*, meaning 'small') + *sleep* (from Old English *slēp*, *slæp*, meaning 'sleep'). First recorded in 1940–45. Unlike a 'nap,' which is a deliberate surrender, or 'drowsiness,' which is a sustained, foggy prelude, a microsleep is a sudden, unbidden breach. It is the head nodding forward on a midnight drive, the eyes glazing over in a dim meeting, the page read three times without comprehension—a tiny, terrifying rehearsal for the final silence.
Etymology
From micro- + sleep.
noun
- A brief period of sleep, usually of a few seconds, that may result from sleep deprivation or various medical conditions.e.g.“During a microsleep, your brain becomes blind to the outside world for a brief moment—and not just the visual domain, but in all channels of perception.” — 2017, Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep, Penguin, published 2018, page 134:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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