Meaning of TETANUS
| Pronunciation: | | 'tetnus
|
 WordNet Dictionary |
| |
| | Definition: | |
- [n] a sustained muscular contraction resulting from a rapid series of nerve impulses
- [n] 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
|
| |
| | Sponsored Links: | |
|
| |
| | Synonyms: | | lockjaw |
| |
| | See Also: | | contraction, infection, muscular contraction | |
| Webster's 1913 Dictionary |
| |
| | Definition: | | \Tet"a*nus\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? stretched, ? to
stretch.]
1. (Med.) 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.) 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.
|
| |
| Medical Dictionary |
| |
| | Definition: | | A serious disease affecting the central nervous system. Tetanus (lockjaw) results when a wound is infected with a type of bacteria that thrives without oxygen (particularly in deep wounds). It is a rare disease in the United States today. |
| |
|
|