lockjaw
6
8.3
- noun
- /ˈlɒkˌdʒɔː/
- Specialized
:
trismo
- Like getting that tetanus shot before lockjaw sets in.
- lockjaw is another name for tetanus
- get lockjaw
- cause lockjaw
Examples
-
Lockjaw is a serious condition caused by an infection that can lead to painful muscle spasms in the lockjaw.
-
A tetanus shot protects against the muscle-tightening disease (such as lockjaw) that can result from a bad scrape.
Academic text (2015) -
We were lucky, I suppose; we didn't end up with lockjaw.
Fiction book (2001) -
A freak accident had necessitated the amputation of toes, and because of John Roebling's stubbornness and insistence on treating himself, lockjaw set in.
Fiction book (1995) -
If someone has lockjaw, they may find it difficult to open their mouth because of the muscle stiffness.
-
He was diagnosed with lockjaw after a minor wound became infected with bacteria.
Synonyms
27
5.4
A serious disease from a germ that makes muscles stiff and suddenly tighten, often after a wound
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Lockjaw comes from the parts lock and jaw because the jaw becomes so stiff it seems 'locked' shut. That's why lockjaw is another name for tetanus, an infection that makes the muscles, especially the jaw, stay tight and hard to open.