Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A tonic spasm of the muscles of mastication, causing closure of the lower jaw, occurring as a manifestation of tetanus, either alone or in conjunction with other tonic muscular spasms; lockjaw.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Med.) The lockjaw.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The inability to normally open the mouth, such as a result of disease.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun prolonged spasm of the jaw muscles

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin, from Greek trismos, a grinding, variant of trigmos, a scream.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From New Latin, from Greek τρισμός ("a grinding, rasping, scream").

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Examples

  • From this it appears that the trismus is the trismus: but he observes with the greatest modesty that if science knows that the trismus is the trismus, it is entirely ignorant of the cause of this nervous affection, which comes and goes, appears and disappears -- "and," he adds, "we have decided that it is altogether nervous."

    Analytical Studies Honor�� de Balzac 1824

  • From this it appears that the trismus is the trismus: but he observes with the greatest modesty that if science knows that the trismus is the trismus, it is entirely ignorant of the cause of this nervous affection, which comes and goes, appears and disappears -- "and," he adds, "we have decided that it is altogether nervous."

    Petty Troubles of Married Life Honor�� de Balzac 1824

  • From this it appears that the trismus is the trismus: but he observes with the greatest modesty that if science knows that the trismus is the trismus, it is entirely ignorant of the cause of this nervous affection, which comes and goes, appears and disappears -- "and," he adds, "we have decided that it is altogether nervous."

    Petty Troubles of Married Life, Complete Honor�� de Balzac 1824

  • For traumatic trismus, use the B D current, of vigorous force.

    A Newly Discovered System of Electrical Medication Daniel Clark

  • This is substantially the same thing as _trismus_, except that it extends to other parts, and often to nearly all the muscles of the organism.

    A Newly Discovered System of Electrical Medication Daniel Clark

  • The symptoms of poisoning by this species are spasms, similar to those of trismus, and agonizing general pains.

    Average Jones Samuel Hopkins Adams 1914

  • * [619] In an article on the successful preventive treatment of tetanus neonatorum, or the ` ` scourge of St. Kilda, '' of the new-born, Turner 15.198 says the first mention of trismus nascentium or tetanus neonatorum was made by Rev. Kenneth Macaulay in 1764, after a visit to the island of St. Kilda in 1758.

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

  • This attack lasted eight or nine months, but in 1848 there was a recurrence accompanied by a slight trismus which lasted over eighteen months, and again in 1860 he was subjected to periods of sleep lasting over twenty-four hours at a time.

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

  • This attack lasted eight or nine months, but in 1848 there was a recurrence accompanied by a slight trismus which lasted over eighteen months, and again in 1860 he was subjected to periods of sleep lasting over twenty-four hours at a time.

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

  • The peculiar effects of a tapeworm are exaggerated appetite and thirst, nausea, headaches, vertigo, ocular symptoms, cardiac palpitation, and Mursinna 15.217 has even observed a case of trismus, or lockjaw, due to tænia solium.

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

Comments

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  • "'...What do you make of it?'

    "'I should have said tetanus without hesitation,' said Stephen, feeling the corpse. 'Here is the most characteristic opisthotonos you could possibly wish, the trismus, the risus sardonicus, the early rigor. Unless indeed he could have taken a wild overdose of St Ignatius' beans, or a decoction of their principle.'"

    --Patrick O'Brian, The Ionian Mission, 109

    February 13, 2008

  • Slightly less fun than Christmas.

    August 23, 2008