# botulism

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɒt.jʊl.ɪz.əm/ · frequency rank #55,968

## Definitions
1. Poisoning caused by the toxin from Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic bacterium that grows in improperly prepared food.

## Etymology
From German Botulismus, from Latin botulus (“sausage”), the first identified source of the disease, + -ism.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/botulism