tetanus
pronunciation
How to pronounce tetanus in British English:
UK [ˈtetənəs]
How to pronounce tetanus in American English:
US [ˈtɛtnəs]
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- Noun:
- an acute and serious infection of the central nervous system caused by bacterial infection of open wounds; spasms of the jaw and laryngeal muscles may occur during the late stages
- a sustained muscular contraction resulting from a rapid series of nerve impulses
Word Origin
- tetanus (n.)
- infectious disease, late 14c., from Latin tetanus "tetanus," from Greek tetanos "tetanus, muscular spasm," literally "a stretching, tension," from teinein "to stretch" (see tenet); "so called because the disease is characterized by violent spasms and stiffness of the muscles" [Barnhart]. Related: Tetanoid (adj.).
Example
- 1. The world health organization estimates that 2 million children die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria , tetanus , and whooping cough .
- 2. Since you are sensitive to the anti - tetanus serum , we will have to give it to you in four doses , at an interval of twenty minutes .
- 3. The root problem is that today 's parents are the first in history with no memory of the maiming and killing caused by polio , tetanus , diphtheria or measles .
- 4. Tetanus killed one of her children in infancy ; another is weak from diarrhoea , caused probably by the custom of keeping mother and baby isolated for a month after birth .
- 5. Most importantly , one-fifth of infants in the world still do not have access to the six key vaccines : against diphtheria , pertussis , polio , measles , tetanus and tuberculosis .