spondylitis deformans spondylitis de·for·mans (dē-fôr'mānz')
n.
Arthritis and osteitis deformans involving the spinal column, marked by nodular deposits at the edges of the intervertebral disks, by ossification of the ligaments, and by bony ankylosis of the intervertebral articulations, resulting in a rounded kyphosis with rigidity. Also called Bechterew's disease, Strümpell's disease.