\Te*tan"ic\, a. [Cf. L. tetanicus suffering from
tetanus, Gr. ?, F. t['e]tanique.]
1. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to tetanus; having the
   character of tetanus; as, a tetanic state; tetanic
   contraction.
         This condition of muscle, this fusion of a number of
         simple spasms into an apparently smooth, continuous
         effort, is known as tetanus, or tetanic contraction.
                                               --Foster.
2. (Physiol. & Med.) Producing, or tending to produce,
   tetanus, or tonic contraction of the muscles; as, a
   tetanic remedy. See {Tetanic}, n.

\Te*tan"ic\, n. (Physiol. & Med.)
A substance (notably nux vomica, strychnine, and brucine)
which, either as a remedy or a poison, acts primarily on the
spinal cord, and which, when taken in comparatively large
quantity, produces tetanic spasms or convulsions.