thrombus
Americannoun
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thrombi
plural
noun
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thrombi
plural
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A clot consisting of fibrin, platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells that forms in a blood vessel or in a chamber of the heart and can obstruct blood flow. The rupture of atherosclerotic plaques can cause arterial thrombosis (the formation of thrombi), while tissue injury, decreased movement, oral contraceptives, prosthetic heart valves, and various metabolic disorders increase the risk for venous thrombosis. A thrombus in a coronary artery can cause a heart attack.
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Compare embolus
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of thrombus
1685–95; < New Latin < Greek thrómbos clot, lump
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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.
See Examples For:
An increase in LDH is thought to indicate hemolysis caused by thrombus formation.
From Forbes ● Nov. 27, 2013
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
In a large vessel, a thrombus will adhere to the vessel wall and decrease the flow of blood, and is referred to as a mural thrombus.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Surgeon Branislav Bogicevic examined the dangerous clot in his right leg, decided to tie off the affected vein without removing the thrombus.
From Time Magazine Archive
He knew about as much as was known about the anatomy of the brain and the symptoms and severities of lesion and thrombus.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Montgomery notes that the kidneys developed tiny blood clots called fibrin thrombi, but that this may be the result of the patient’s condition.
From Scientific American ● Jan. 20, 2022
While the formation of a clot is normal following the hemostatic mechanism just described, thrombi can form within an intact or only slightly damaged blood vessel.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
A thrombolytic agent is a medication that promotes the breakup of thrombi.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Dr. Silbert predicted that dicoumarin will soon be used not only as a cure for thrombi, but as a routine preventive in all major operations and confinements.
From Time Magazine Archive
The condition may be present in thrombi which are exposed to a rapidly-flowing arterial stream, as well as in those which lie in venous pockets outside the course of the direct current of blood.
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.
