Hypertext Webster Gateway: "tenesmus"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Tenesmus \Te*nes"mus\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? to stretch: cf.
L. tenesmos.] (Med.)
An urgent and distressing sensation, as if a discharge from
the intestines must take place, although none can be
effected; -- always referred to the lower extremity of the
rectum.
{Vesical tenesmus}, a similar sensation as to the evacuation
of urine, referred to the region of the bladder.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
tenesmus
n : painful spasm of the anal sphincter along with an urgent
desire to defecate without the significant production of
feces; associated with irritable bowel syndrome
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