tenesmus

[ tuh-nez-muh s, -nes- ]

/ təˈnɛz məs, -ˈnɛs- /

noun Pathology.

a straining to urinate or defecate, without the ability to do so.

Nearby words

tenectomy, tenedos, tenement, tenerife, tenesmic, tenesmus, tenet, tenfold, teng hsiao-ping, tenge, tengri khan

Origin of tenesmus

1520–30; < Medieval Latin, variant of Latin tēnesmos < Greek teinesmós, equivalent to teín(ein) to stretch + -esmos noun suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tenesmus

Of tenesmus I happened to hear of but a single instance, though the Laplanders eat so much cheese and drink water.
Lachesis Lapponica|Carl von Linn
Tenesmus, a sense of weight and of a body present in the bowel, are experienced.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II|Various
In diarrhœa there is no fever or tenesmus, or pain before the stools, as in dysentery.
A Treatise on Sheep:|Ambrose Blacklock
The stools are pappy, or watery, profuse, offensive and followed by tenesmus.
New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers|Various

If the disposition to tenesmus be troublesome, a small injection of starch and opium will afford relief.
A System of Midwifery|Edward Rigby

British Dictionary definitions for tenesmus

tenesmus

/ (tɪˈnɛzməs, -ˈnɛs-) /

noun

pathol an ineffective painful straining to empty the bowels in response to the sensation of a desire to defecate, without producing a significant quantity of faeces

Derived Forms

tenesmic, adjective

Word Origin for tenesmus

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin tēnesmos, from Greek teinesmos, from teinein to strain

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

Medicine definitions for tenesmus

tenesmus

[ tə-nĕz′məs ]

n.

A painful spasm of the anal sphincter accompanied by an urgent desire to evacuate the bowel or bladder and involuntary straining that results in the passing of little or no matter.