| Noun | 1.epilepsia minor - epilepsy characterized by paroxysmal attacks of brief clouding of consciousness (and possibly other abnormalities); "she has been suffering from petit mal since childhood"petit mal, petit mal epilepsyepilepsy - a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by loss of consciousness and convulsionsabsence seizure, absence - the occurrence of an abrupt, transient loss or impairment of consciousness (which is not subsequently remembered), sometimes with light twitching, fluttering eyelids, etc.; common in petit mal epilepsy | | 2.epilepsia minor - a seizure of short duration characterized by momentary unconsciousness and local muscle spasms or twitching; "the girl was frightened by her first petit mal"petit malepileptic seizure - convulsions accompanied by impaired consciousness |