The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
tetanus
(TET-n-uhs, TET-nuhs) An acute and infectious disease caused by the toxin produced by a kind of bacteria that enters the body through cuts or wounds; also called lockjaw. In tetanus, the muscles of the body, particularly the muscles of the jaw, contract in painful spasms. Tetanus is deadly but can be prevented through immunization (tetanus shots).
