TETANUS

tetanus

(noun) a sustained muscular contraction resulting from a rapid series of nerve impulses

tetanus, lockjaw

(noun) an acute and serious infection of the central nervous system caused by bacterial infection of open wounds; spasms of the jaw and laryngeal muscles may occur during the late stages

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

tetanus (usually uncountable, plural tetani)

(pathology, countable) A serious and often fatal disease caused by the infection of an open wound with the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani, found in soil and the intestines and faeces of animals.

(physiology, countable) A state of muscle tension caused by sustained contraction arising from a rapid series of nerve impulses which do not allow the muscle to relax.

Synonyms

• (disease caused by Clostridium tetani): lockjaw

Anagrams

• attunes, nutates, tautens, unstate, untaste

Source: Wiktionary

Tet"a*nus, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

1. (Med.)

Definition: A painful and usually fatal disease, resulting generally from a wound, and having as its principal symptom persistent spasm of the voluntary muscles. When the muscles of the lower jaw are affected, it is called locked-jaw, or lickjaw, and it takes various names from the various incurvations of the body resulting from the spasm.

2. (Physiol.)

Definition: That condition of a muscle in which it is in a state of continued vibratory contraction, as when stimulated by a series of induction shocks.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition