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Glite Dictionary
tetanus antitoxin

tetanus antitoxin

5.6
A medicine made from antibodies that gives short-term protection against tetanus after a wound
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛtənəs ˈæntiˌtaɪkˌsɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : antitoxina del tétano
  • The hospital kept tetanus antitoxin on hand for emergency situations involving contaminated wounds.

Examples

  • Doctors administered a tetanus antitoxin after he stepped on a rusty nail.

  • A single dose of tetanus antitoxin can provide immediate protection until a vaccine takes effect.

  • The doctor administered a dose of tetanus antitoxin after the injury.

  • Have you received your tetanus antitoxin shot recently?

  • The doctor recommended that the patient receive tetanus antitoxin after the injury to prevent infection.

  • After an animal bite, he was given tetanus antitoxin as a precaution against tetanus infection.

  • For protection against tetanus, it is important to administer tetanus antitoxin to anyone who has not been vaccinated.

Synonyms

antitoxin
vstetanus antitoxin
  • Specialized
8 5.6

A substance that stops a specific poison in the body

is a specific short-term antibody given after possible exposure to the disease-causing bacterium
tetanus immunoglobulin
vstetanus antitoxin
  • Specialized
6.7

A medicine from vaccinated people that gives immediate short-term protection against tetanus after a wound

is the more general term for the same temporary antibody preparation
tetanus immune globulin
vstetanus antitoxin
  • Specialized
6.7

A shot of antibodies that gives short-term protection against tetanus

is described more generally without naming blood plasma as its source

Surface Forms

tetanus antitoxin singular
tetanus antitoxins plural

Morphology

tetanus + antitoxin

The phrase is a straightforward noun–noun composition: an 'antitoxin' (an antibody preparation) specifically for 'tetanus' (the disease), so its meaning is directly derivable from the constituents. This medical compound follows transparent, cross-linguistic compositional patterns (X antitoxin = antitoxin against X), making it understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Tetanus antitoxin is named from its parts: tetanus, the disease, and antitoxin, which means 'against the toxin', because early doctors used antibodies from animals to fight the tetanus poison. That's why the term now means a medicine of antibodies given for 'short-term protection' after a dangerous wound.