ˈbächəˌlizəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary botul- (from Latin botulus ) + -ism; originally formed as German botulismus
: acute food poisoning in man, various mammals, and birds caused by ingestion of food containing the toxin secreted by a spore-forming bacterium ( Clostridium botulinum ), characterized by muscle weakness and paralysis, disturbances of vision, swallowing, and speech, and marked by a high mortality rate — see duck sickness , limberneck