tabes dorsalis

[ dawr-sal-is, -sey-lis ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. syphilis of the spinal cord and its appendages, characterized by shooting pains and other sensory disturbances, and, in the later stages, by paralysis.

tabes dorsalis

/ dɔːˈsɑːlɪs /

noun

1. a form of late syphilis that attacks the spinal cord causing degeneration of the nerve fibres, pains in the legs, paralysis of the leg muscles, acute abdominal pain, etc Also calledlocomotor ataxia

Word History and Origins

Origin of tabes dorsalis¹

1675–85; < New Latin tābēs dorsālis literally, tabes of the back; dorsal ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tabes dorsalis¹

New Latin, literally: tabes of the back; see tabes , dorsal

Example Sentences

Tabes dorsalis occurs with much greater frequency in men than in women (see Neuropathology).

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• acquired immune deficiency syndrome
• AIDS
• gonorrhea
• herpes
• syphilis
• the clap
• venereal disease