tetanus

tetanus definition - medical

tet·a·nus (tĕtˈn-əs)

noun
  1. An acute, often fatal disease that is characterized by spasmodic contraction of voluntary muscles, especially one occurring in the neck and jaw, and that is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani, which usually enters the body through an infected wound and produces a neurotoxin. Also called lockjaw.
  2. A state of continuous muscular contraction, especially when induced artificially by rapidly repeated stimuli.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.