lockjaw n : an acute and serious infection of the central nervous system caused by bacterial infection of open wounds; spasms of the jaw and laryngeal muscles may occur during the late stages [syn: tetanus]

English

Noun

lockjaw

1. A spasmodic, nervous system disease brought on by the tetanus bacteria. It causes muscles to seize up and may cause death by suffocation.

Synonyms

• trismus
• tetanus

Lockjaw can refer to any of the following:

• trismus, a pathological condition in which the mouth is held shut by sustained spasm of the masseter (jaw) muscle, often observed in cases of tetanus

• tetanus, an infectious disease of the central nervous system

• Lockjaw (comics), a character from Marvel Comics' Inhumans

• Lockjaw (band), a UK punk rock band from the 1970s

• Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, a jazz saxophonist (d. 1986)

• Locust Valley Lockjaw, an upper-class American accent

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