embolism

[ em-buh-liz-uhm ]
See synonyms for embolism on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Pathology. the occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus.

  2. intercalation, as of a day in a year.

  1. a period of time intercalated.

  2. (in a Eucharistic service) the prayer following the final petitions of the Lord's Prayer.

Origin of embolism

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin embolismus intercalation <Late Greek embolismós, equivalent to embol- (see embolus) + -ismos-ism

Other words from embolism

  • em·bo·lis·mic, adjective

Words Nearby embolism

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How to use embolism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for embolism

embolism

/ (ˈɛmbəˌlɪzəm) /


noun
  1. the occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus

  2. botany the blocking of a xylem vessel by an air bubble

  1. the insertion of one or more days into a calendar, esp the Jewish calendar; intercalation

  2. RC Church a prayer inserted in the canon of the Mass between the Lord's Prayer and the breaking of the bread

  3. another name (not in technical use) for embolus

Origin of embolism

1
C14: from Medieval Latin embolismus, from Late Greek embolismos intercalary; see embolus

Derived forms of embolism

  • embolismic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for embolism

embolism

[ ĕmbə-lĭz′əm ]


  1. A mass, such as an air bubble, detached blood clot, or foreign body, that travels in the bloodstream, lodges in a blood vessel, and obstructs or occludes it. Also called embolus

  2. The obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by such a mass.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for embolism

embolism

An obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an air bubble, a detached blood clot, or a foreign body.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.