botulism

[ boch-uh-liz-uhm ]
See synonyms for botulism on Thesaurus.com
nounPathology.
  1. a sometimes fatal disease of the nervous system acquired from spoiled foods in which botulin is present, especially improperly canned or marinated foods.

Origin of botulism

1
1875–80; <German Botulismus, equivalent to Latin botul(us) sausage (a source of botulin toxin) + -ismus-ism

Words Nearby botulism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use botulism in a sentence

  • botulism is caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, a hardy anaerobe.

    The Deadliest Botox Has Arrived | Kent Sepkowitz | October 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • To regard every can as a source of botulism is worse than regarding every dog as a source of hydrophobia.

    Every Step in Canning | Grace Viall Gray
  • It should be clearly understood that botulism is one of the very rare maladies.

    Every Step in Canning | Grace Viall Gray
  • Professor Stiles has given a graphic description of his own attack of probable botulism due in all likelihood to minced chicken.

    Food Poisoning | Edwin Oakes Jordan
  • So far as can be learned the meat that has caused botulism has always come from perfectly sound animals.

    Food Poisoning | Edwin Oakes Jordan
  • Thus far the best-known examples of poisoning by the products of micro-organisms are botulism and ergotism.

    Food Poisoning | Edwin Oakes Jordan

British Dictionary definitions for botulism

botulism

/ (ˈbɒtjʊˌlɪzəm) /


noun
  1. severe poisoning from ingestion of botulin, which affects the central nervous system producing difficulty in swallowing, visual disturbances, and respiratory paralysis: often fatal

Origin of botulism

1
C19: first formed as German Botulismus literally: sausage poisoning, from Latin botulus sausage

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for botulism

botulism

[ bŏchə-lĭz′əm ]


  1. A severe, sometimes fatal food poisoning caused by eating food infected with the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which produces botulinum toxin. The bacterium grows in food that has been improperly preserved.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for botulism

botulism

[ (boch-uh-liz-uhm) ]


A severe form of food poisoning, often fatal if not treated quickly. Botulism is caused by a kind of bacterium that produces a toxin, and it is sometimes present in improperly canned or preserved foods.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.