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embolus

[ em-buh-luhs ]
/ ˈɛm bə ləs /
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noun, plural em·bo·li [em-buh-lahy]. /ˈɛm bəˌlaɪ/. Pathology.
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.

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Origin of embolus

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

Words nearby embolus

embolic, embolism, embolite, embolization, embolize, embolus, emboly, embonpoint, embosk, embosom, emboss
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to embolus

barricade, closure, encirclement, restriction, roadblock, siege, stoppage, clotting, clump, lump, bar, clog, hindrance, impediment, infarct, infarction, obstacle, obstruction, snag, stop

How to use embolus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for embolus

embolus
/ (ˈɛmbələs) /
noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)
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 circulationCompare thrombus

Word Origin for embolus

C17: via Latin from Greek embolos stopper, from emballein to insert, from ballein to throw; see emblem
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 embolus

embolus
[ ĕm′bə-ləs ]
Plural emboli (ĕm′bə-lī)
See embolism.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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