tenesmus
Meanings
noun
- A continual or recurrent but ineffectual inclination to evacuate the bowels, caused by disorder of the rectum or other illness.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Borrowing from Medieval Latin tēnesmus, from Ancient Greek τεινεσμός (teinesmós, “vain endeavor to evacuate”), from τείνω (teínō, “to stretch, to pull tight”) + -εσμός (-esmós, nominal suffix).
Derived words
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