Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or characteristic of tetanus: Pertaining to the severe bacterial infection marked by prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers.
   • Relating to or causing tetany: Pertaining to the condition characterized by involuntary muscle spasms, often due to abnormal calcium metabolism.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The patient exhibited classic tetanic spasms. (The patient showed muscle spasms characteristic of tetanus.)
  • Hypocalcemia can lead to a tetanic state. (Low blood calcium can cause a condition involving muscle spasms.)

Advanced Usage

• "tetanic contraction": A sustained, forceful muscle contraction, as seen in tetanus or tetany.
  • The toxin causes a painful tetanic contraction of the jaw muscles.
• "tetanic stimulation": In physiology, a rapid series of stimuli that causes a muscle to maintain a continuous contraction.
  • Researchers used tetanic stimulation to study muscle fatigue.

Variants and Related Words

• Tetanus (n): The acute infectious disease caused by the bacterium .
  • A deep puncture wound carries a risk of tetanus.
• Tetany (n): A condition of involuntary muscle contractions and cramps, often related to calcium deficiency.
  • The infant's tetany was treated with calcium supplements.

Synonyms

• Spasmodic: Relating to or characterized by spasms.
• Convulsive: Involving or causing sudden, violent, irregular movements.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary use of tetanic is medical and physiological. It specifically describes phenomena related to the two distinct but similarly named conditions: tetanus (the infection) and tetany (the metabolic condition). While both involve muscle rigidity or spasms, their causes are different.

Adjective

1. of or relating to or causing tetanus
2. of or relating to or causing tetany