tetanus
tetanus definition
teta·nus (tet′'n əs, tet′nəs)
noun
- an acute infectious disease, often fatal, caused by the specific toxin of a bacillus (Clostridium tetani) which usually enters the body through wounds: it is characterized by spasmodic contractions and rigidity of some or all of the voluntary muscles, esp. of the jaw, face, and neck; lockjaw
- Physiol. the state of continuous contraction of a muscle, esp. when caused experimentally by a series of rapidly repeated stimuli
Etymology: L < Gr tetanos, spasm (of muscles), lit., stretched < base of teinein: see thin
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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