rigor: Meaning and Definition of

rig•or

1. strictness, severity, or harshness, as in dealing with people.
2. the full or extreme severity of laws, rules, etc.
3. severity of living conditions; hardship; austerity: the rigor of wartime existence.
4. a severe or harsh act, circumstance, etc.
5. scrupulous or inflexible accuracy or adherence: the logical rigor of mathematics.
6. severity of weather or climate or an instance of this: the rigors of winter.
7. a sudden coldness, as that preceding certain fevers; chill.
8. a state of rigidity in muscle tissues during which they are unable to respond to stimuli due to the coagulation of muscle protein.
9. stiffness or rigidity.