tetanus — meaning in English

English meaning

• lockjaw noun A common name for tetanus, a disease that causes severe muscle spasms, especially in the jaw.
• tetanus noun A serious bacterial infection, often from a dirty wound, that causes severe muscle stiffness and spasms.

Senses

tetanus is used for these senses in English:

• lockjaw (pathology) A spasmodic, nervous system disease brought on by the tetanus bacteria, causing muscles to seize up and may cause death by suffocation.
• tetanus (pathology, usually, uncountable) A serious and often fatal disease caused by the infection of an open wound with the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani, found in soil and the intestines and faeces of animals.

tetanus — full definition

1. noun A serious bacterial infection, often from a dirty wound, that causes severe muscle stiffness and spasms.
2. noun A state of sustained, involuntary muscle contraction.

Related Finnish words