tabes dor·sa·lis (dôr-s??l?s, -s?l??s)n. A late form of syphilis resulting in a hardening of the dorsal columns of the spinal cord and marked by shooting pains, emaciation, loss of muscular coordination, and disturbances of sensation and digestion. Also called locomotor ataxia.[New Latin t?b?s dors?lis : Latin t?b?s, tabes + Late Latin dors?lis, dorsal.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.tabes dorsalis (d???s??l?s) n (Pathology) a form of late syphilis that attacks the spinal cord causing degeneration of the nerve fibres, pains in the legs, paralysis of the leg muscles, acute abdominal pain, etc. Also called: locomotor ataxia [New Latin, literally: tabes of the back; see tabes, dorsal]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014ta?bes dor?sal?is (d?r?sæl ?s, -?se? l?s) n. progressive degeneration of the spinal cord and nerve roots, esp. as a consequence of syphilis. [1675?85;