an ineffective painful straining to empty the bowels in response to the sensation of a desire to defecate, without producing a significant quantity of faeces
Derived forms
tenesmic (teˈnesmic)
adjective
Word origin
C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin tēnesmos, from Greek teinesmos, from teinein to strain
tenesmus in American English
(tɪˈnɛzməs; tɪˈnɛsməs)
noun
Medicine
a feeling of urgent need to defecate or urinate, with a straining but unsuccessful effort to do so
Word origin
ML < L tenesmos < Gr teinesmos < teinein, to stretch: see thin