obturate

American  

[ob-tuh-reyt, -tyuh-] / ˈɒb təˌreɪt, -tyə- /

verb (used with object)

obturated, obturating

1. to stop up; close.

2. Ordnance. to close (a hole or cavity) so as to prevent a flow of gas through it, especially the escape of explosive gas from a gun tube during firing.

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obturate British  

/ ˈɒbtjʊəˌreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to stop up (an opening, esp the breech of a gun)

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Other Word Forms

• obturation
  noun
• obturator
  noun

Etymology

Origin of obturate

1550–60; < Latin obtūrātus, past participle of obtūrāre to block, stop up

Explanation

To obturate is to block an opening. Your dentist may obturate the hole where she performed a root canal. If she doesn't, you'll be in some serious pain. The verb obturate is really more formal or technical than an everyday word like "block" or "obstruct," but you can use it as a substitute if you want to. It's more often used to describe the mechanism of a firearm, in which a bullet is designed to obturate the inside of a gun's barrel, increasing the pressure with which it's fired. The Latin root, obturat, means "stopped up."