botulism

[boch-uh-liz-uh m] /ˈbɒtʃ əˌlɪz əm/

noun, Pathology

a sometimes fatal disease of the nervous system acquired from spoiled foods in which botulin is present, especially improperly canned or marinated foods.

Origin

1875-80; < German Botulismus, equivalent to Latin botul(us) sausage (a source of botulin toxin) + -ismus -ism

Examples from the web for botulism

Canning tomatoes need high acid to help prevent botulism.
And the iced botulism on this cake is the threat to the banking system.
Fish eat the infected shellfish and are killed by the botulism toxins, ending up washed up on the beach.
Doctors suggested it might be cholera or typhus, or perhaps it was dengue fever or botulism.
Researchers have developed a potent weapon against the paralyzing disease botulism.

British Dictionary definitions for botulism

botulism

/ˈbɒtjʊˌlɪzəm/

noun

severe poisoning from ingestion of botulin, which affects the central nervous system producing difficulty in swallowing, visual disturbances, and respiratory paralysis: often fatal

Word Origin

C19: first formed as German Botulismus literally: sausage poisoning, from Latin botulus sausage

Word Origin and History for botulism

1878, from German Botulismus (1878), coined in German from Latin botulus "sausage" (see bowel) + -ismus suffix of action or state (see -ism). Sickness first traced to eating tainted sausage (sausage poisoning was an old name for it).

botulism in Medicine

botulism bot·u·lism (bŏch'ə-lĭz'əm)
n.
A severe, sometimes fatal food poisoning caused by ingestion of a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum in improperly canned or preserved food and characterized by nausea, vomiting, disturbed vision, and paralysis.

botulism in Science

botulism

(bŏch'ə-lĭz'əm)
A severe, sometimes fatal food poisoning caused by eating food infected with the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which produces botulinum toxin. The bacterium grows in food that has been improperly preserved.

botulism in Culture

botulism [(boch-uh-liz-uhm)]

A severe form of food poisoning, often fatal if not treated quickly. Botulism is caused by a kind of bacterium that produces a toxin, and it is sometimes present in improperly canned or preserved foods.