Meanings
alternative death stiffness
- uncountableTemporary stiffness of the body's muscles and joints following death; rigor mortis.
Before death stiffness occurs in the hind parts, generally in one hip or leg; the head and ears droop, and dullness and stupor are observed.
1878, United States. Dept. of Agriculture, Report - Page 5171 more example
If the muscles of cold-blooded animals are heated to a temperature of 40° C, the " warmth-rigidity" (Wärmestarre), a condition very similar to death-stiffness, is superinduced. The cause of the death-stiffness and warmth-stiffness, is in the fact that certain fluid ingredients [...]
1869, The Student, and Intellectual Observer, volume 2, page 146
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Cite this entry
death-stiffness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death-stiffness
“death-stiffness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death-stiffness. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “death-stiffness,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death-stiffness.
Source: death-stiffness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.