tetanus
noun
tet·a·nus
ˈte-tə-nəs
ˈtet-nəs
1
a
: an acute infectious bacterial disease characterized by tonic spasm of voluntary muscles especially of the jaw and caused by an exotoxin of a clostridium (Clostridium tetani) which is usually introduced through a wound compare lockjaw
b
: the bacterium that causes tetanus
2
: prolonged contraction of a muscle resulting from rapidly repeated motor impulses
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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