TETANUS


Meaning of TETANUS in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈte-tə-nəs, ˈtet-nəs ]

noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, from Greek tetanos, from tetanos stretched, rigid; akin to Greek teinein to stretch — more at thin

Date: 14th century

1.

a. : an acute infectious disease characterized by tonic spasm of voluntary muscles especially of the jaw and caused by the specific toxin of a bacterium ( Clostridium tetani ) which is usually introduced through a wound — compare lockjaw

b. : the bacterium that causes tetanus

2. : prolonged contraction of a muscle resulting from rapidly repeated motor impulses

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.