avulsion

[ uh-vuhl-shuhn ]

/ əˈvʌl ʃən /

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noun

a tearing away.

Law. the sudden removal of soil by change in a river's course or by a flood, from the land of one owner to that of another.

a part torn off.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of avulsion

1615–25; <Latin āvulsiōn- (stem of āvulsiō), equivalent to āvuls(us) torn off (see avulse) + -iōn--ion

Words nearby avulsion

avowry, Avram, avruga, a vuestra salud, avulse, avulsion, avuncular, avunculate, aw, awa, AWACS

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use avulsion in a sentence

Making matters worse, he suffered an avulsion fracture in his right knee during that ninth game — an injury that ultimately sidelined him for nearly two months.
Bogdan Bogdanović Turned His Season Around. Can He Help The Hawks Beat The Knicks?|Jared Dubin|May 26, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
By a quick movement of avulsion the tumour is then torn from its attachment.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
Avulsion is usually not complete and only results in a larger iridectomy than was intended.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
There still remained some hope that an "everlasting avulsion from Great Britain would be avoided."
Thomas Jefferson|Gilbert Chinard

What is this horrible avulsion, this impenetrable self-imprisonment, but the appalling state of despair?
Lectures on Art|Washington Allston
The growth should not be cut through, as it is wiser to pluck it from its attachment by a quick movement of avulsion.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for avulsion

avulsion

/ (əˈvʌlʃən) /

noun

a forcible tearing away or separation of a bodily structure or part, either as the result of injury or as an intentional surgical procedure

law the sudden removal of soil from one person's land to that of another, as by flooding

Word Origin for avulsion

C17: from Latin āvulsiō, from āvellere to pluck away, from vellere to pull, pluck

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