Te*tan"ic (?), a. [Cf. L. tetanicus suffering from tetanus, Gr. , F. t'etanique.]
1. Physiol.
Of or pertaining to tetanus; having the character of tetanus; as, a tetanic state; tetanic contraction.
This condition of muscle, this fusion of a number of simple spasms into an apparently smooth, continuous effort, is known as tetanus, or tetanic contraction.
Foster.
2. Physiol. & Med.
Producing, or tending to produce, tetanus, or tonic contraction of the muscles; as, a tetanic remedy. See Tetanic, n.
© Webster 1913.
Te*tan"ic (?), n. Physiol. & Med.
A substance (notably nux vomica, strychnine, and brucine) which, either as a remedy or a poison, acts primarily on the spinal cord, and which, when taken in comparatively large quantity, produces tetanic spasms or convulsions.
© Webster 1913.