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embolus

American  
[em-buh-luhs] / ˈɛm bə ləs /

noun

Pathology.

plural

emboli

  1. undissolved material carried by the blood and impacted in some part of the vascular system, as thrombi or fragments of thrombi, tissue fragments, clumps of bacteria, protozoan parasites, fat globules, or gas bubbles.

embolus British  
/ ˈɛmbələs /

noun

  1. material, such as part of a blood clot or an air bubble, that is transported by the blood stream until it becomes lodged within a small vessel and impedes the circulation Compare thrombus

"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

Etymology

Origin of embolus

1660–70; < Latin: piston < Greek émbolos stopper, equivalent to em- em- 2 + bólos a throw, akin to bállein to throw

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Prof Kinsey told the court the skin discolorations observed on Child A had "cemented" her concerns that he had suffered an air embolus.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2022

"It was a pretty stark description of what sounded to be air embolus to me," she said.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2022

Fat in the bloodstream after an injury like mine signaled the possibility of a fat embolus, a rare but potentially fatal complication of long-bone fractures.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2015

When a portion of a thrombus breaks free from the vessel wall and enters the circulation, it is referred to as an embolus.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

An embolus may be so large as to be unable to pass through the valvular orifices of the heart.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.