Main Entry:

tet·a·nus

Pronunciation:

\ˈte-tə-nəs, ˈtet-nəs\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Latin, from Greek tetanos, from tetanos stretched, rigid; akin to Greek teinein to stretch — more at thin

Date:

14th century

1 a: an acute infectious disease characterized by tonic spasm of voluntary muscles especially of the jaw and caused by an exotoxin of a bacterium (Clostridium tetani) which is usually introduced through a wound — compare lockjaw b: the bacterium that causes tetanus2: prolonged contraction of a muscle resulting from rapidly repeated motor impulses