Main Entry: tet·a·nus

Pronunciation: \ˈtet-^ən-əs, ˈtet-nəs\

Function: noun

1 a : an acute infectious disease characterized by tonic spasm of voluntary muscles and especially of the muscles of the jaw and caused by the specific toxin produced by a bacterium of the genus Clostridium (C. tetani) which is usually introduced through a wound—compare lockjaw b : tetanus bacillus
2 : prolonged contraction of a muscle resulting from a series of motor impulses following one another too rapidly to permit intervening relaxation of the muscle