tetanic
- adjective
- /təˈtænɪk/
- Specialized
- The patient displayed a tetanic response after the nerve was stimulated.
Examples
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Some toxins have a tetanic effect on the muscular system.
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The patient exhibited tetanic spasms during the examination.
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A drop in blood calcium levels may lead to tetanic muscle contractions.
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Doctors are concerned about tetanic symptoms in patients.
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The doctor explained that tetanic spasms can occur if calcium levels are too low in the body.
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After several hours of rigorous exercise, he experienced tetanic contractions in his muscles.
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Patients with low magnesium levels may suffer from tetanic symptoms, including painful muscle cramps.
Synonyms
Having stiff or uncontrolled muscles because of a nerve problem
How Spasmodic
Surface Forms
Morphology
tetanic = tetany (transparent) = tetan + ic
Standard adjectival formation from the noun 'tetany' using '-ic', yielding 'relating to or causing tetany'.
Etymology
Tetanic comes from the Greek tetanos, from teinein meaning 'to stretch', an idea you can see in English words like tension or tense. That's why tetanic describes conditions that make muscles suddenly go 'tight' and spasm.