Tetanus

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈtÉ›tÉ™nÉ™s/
• US IPA: /ˈtÉ›tÌšnɨs/

Origin

From Latin tetanus, from Ancient Greek τέτανος.

Full definition of tetanus

Noun

1. (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.
2. (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.
• January 16, We first saturated LTP in one pathway by applying repetitive tetani that had no effect on the control pathway (Fig. 4 B).

Synonyms

• (disease caused by Clostridium tetani) lockjaw

Derived terms

• tetanal
• tetanic
• tetany

Anagrams

• attunes
• tautens