Noun: tetanus te-tu-nus or te-t(u)n-us
- 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
"Vaccination has greatly reduced the incidence of tetanus in developed countries";
- lockjaw [informal]
- A sustained muscular contraction resulting from a rapid series of nerve impulses
"The patient's jaw was locked due to tetanus"
Derived forms: tetanuses
Type of: contraction, infection, muscle contraction, muscular contraction
Encyclopedia: Tetanus