Medicine. A disease of humans and animals characterized by persistent contraction of some or most of the voluntary muscles of the body, with…

A crick in the neck, ? a spasm of pain.

Sustained muscular spasm causing the body to arch backwards, as in severe tetanus, rabies, strychnine poisoning, etc.; an instance of this. Cf. empr…

Sustained muscular spasm causing the body to arch forwards, with the head approaching the chest, sometimes occurring in tetanus, certain types of…

A fatal disease, esp. of children; spec. neonatal tetanus (= jawfall, n. 2). Obsolete.

The action of tetanus.

Tetanus or tonic spasm of the muscles of the neck and lower jaw, causing the jaw to close rigidly; lock-jaw. (Rarely extended to tetanus in general.)

a jaw that opens or closes with difficulty; a condition causing this (= lockjaw, n. 1); also in figurative contexts (cf. lock-jawed, adj. 1).

Any condition characterized by difficulty in opening and closing the mouth; spec. that caused by spasm of the jaw muscles in tetanus; (also) tetanus…

Bending of the body to one side, esp. as a result of muscle spasm, described originally in tetanus.

tetanus occurring in a newborn child (neonatal tetanus), which typically results from infection of the stump of the umbilical cord at birth and…

Muscle spasm or rigidity in which the neck and back are held in a straight line, associated esp. with tetanus.

= pleurothotonos, n.