avulsion

[ uh-vuhl-shuh n ]
/ əˈvʌl ʃən /

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.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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, avulse, avulsed wound, avulsion, avulsion fracture, avuncular, avunculate, aw, aw-shucks
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for avulsion

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

Medical definitions for avulsion

avulsion
[ ə-vŭl′shən ]

n.

The forcible tearing away of a body part by trauma or surgery.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.