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tetanus
[ tet-n-uhs ]
/ ˈtɛt n əs /
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noun
Pathology. an infectious, often fatal disease caused by a specific bacterium that enters the body through wounds and characterized by respiratory paralysis and tonic spasms and rigidity of the voluntary muscles, especially those of the neck and lower jaw.Compare lockjaw.
Also called tetanus bacillus. Bacteriology. the bacterium, Clostridium tetani, causing this disease.
Physiology. a state of sustained contraction of a muscle during which the muscle does not relax to its initial length or tension, induced by a rapid succession of stimuli.
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Origin of tetanus
1350–1400; <Latin <Greek tétanos spasm (of muscles), tetanus; replacing Middle English tetane<Latin, as above
OTHER WORDS FROM tetanus
tet·a·nal, adjectivetet·a·noid, adjectiveWords nearby tetanus
testudo, testy, Tet, tetanic, tetanize, tetanus, tetanus toxoid, tetany, tetartohedral, tetched, tetchy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tetanus in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for tetanus
tetanus
/ (ˈtɛtənəs) /
noun
Also called: lockjaw an acute infectious disease in which sustained muscular spasm, contraction, and convulsion are caused by the release of exotoxins from the bacterium, Clostridium tetani : infection usually occurs through a contaminated wound
physiol any tense contraction of a muscle, esp when produced by electric shocks
Derived forms of tetanus
tetanal, adjectivetetanoid, adjectiveWord Origin for tetanus
C16: via Latin from Greek tetanos, from tetanos taut, from teinein to stretch
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 tetanus
tetanus
[ tĕt′n-əs ]
An acute, often fatal infectious disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani, which usually enters the body through a wound and produces a toxin that affects nerve conduction. Tetanus is characterized by painful, spasmodic contractions of voluntary muscles, especially of the jaw.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for tetanus
tetanus
[ (tet-n-uhs, tet-nuhs) ]
An acute and infectious disease caused by the toxin produced by a kind of bacteria that enters the body through cuts or wounds; also called lockjaw. In tetanus, the muscles of the body, particularly the muscles of the jaw, contract in painful spasms. Tetanus is deadly but can be prevented through immunization (tetanus shots).
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.