'Saltatory spasm' definitions:

Definition of 'Saltatory spasm'

From: GCIDE
  • Saltatory \Sal"ta*to"ry\, a. [L. saltatorius. See Saltant, and cf. Saltire.] Leaping or dancing; having the power of, or used in, leaping or dancing. [1913 Webster]
  • Saltatory evolution (Biol.), a theory of evolution which holds that the transmutation of species is not always gradual, but that there may come sudden and marked variations. See Saltation.
  • Saltatory spasm (Med.), an affection in which pressure of the foot on a floor causes the patient to spring into the air, so as to make repeated involuntary motions of hopping and jumping. --J. Ross. [1913 Webster]