tabes dorsalisEnglishOxford New American Dictionarytabes dorsalis /ˈtābēz dôrˈsalis, ˈteɪbiz dɔrˈsælɪs / ▸ noun loss of coordination of movement, especially as a result of syphilitic infection of the spinal cord. Also called locomotor ataxia. – ORIGIN modern Latin, literally ‘wasting of the back’.