: a condition of physiological calcium imbalance marked by tonic spasm of muscles and often associated with deficient parathyroid secretion
Examples of tetany in a Sentence
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The horror and anguish of this bacteria is made plain in a painting from the early 1800s by the surgeon and artist Sir Charles Bell, in which the artist depicts a soldier locked tight in the throes of agonizing tetany.
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Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 29 Sep. 2015
The veterinarian was at the farm checking the cows for grass tetany.
—Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, 10 June 2021
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Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 29 Sep. 2015
The veterinarian was at the farm checking the cows for grass tetany.
—Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, 10 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“Tetany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tetany. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
tetany
noun
tet·a·ny
ˈtet-ᵊn-ē, ˈtet-nē 
plural tetanies
: a condition of physiological calcium imbalance that is marked by intermittent tonic spasm of the voluntary muscles and is associated with deficiencies of parathyroid secretion or other disturbances (as vitamin D deficiency)
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