tenesmus

noun

painful spasm of the anal sphincter along with an urgent desire to defecate without the significant production of feces

Roots

teinesmostenesmus- · Greek · a straining

Synonyms & related words for tenesmus

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Words related to tenesmus

Explore words related to tenesmus — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include tenesmic, dysuria, strangury, anuresis, steatorrhea, rectocele, anuretic, proctitis. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does tenesmus come from?

The word tenesmus breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root tenesmus, from Greek teinesmos (“a straining”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.