embolism

[em-buh-liz-uh m] /ˈɛm bəˌlɪz əm/
noun
1.
Pathology. the occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus.
2.
intercalation, as of a day in a year.
3.
a period of time intercalated.
4.
(in a Eucharistic service) the prayer following the final petitions of the Lord's Prayer.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin embolismus intercalation < Late Greek embolismós, equivalent to embol- (see embolus) + -ismos -ism
Related forms
embolismic, adjective
Examples from the web for embolism
  • He could have had a blood clot in the lung, called a pulmonary embolism.
  • The clot can quickly move to the lungs in a potentially fatal condition known as pulmonary embolism.
  • If the clot travels from the site where it formed to another location in the body it is called an embolism.
  • If a clot moves into an artery in the lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism.
  • embolism blocks small arteries within the brain, causing dysfunction to occur.
British Dictionary definitions for embolism

embolism

/ˈɛmbəˌlɪzəm/
noun
1.
the occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
2.
(botany) the blocking of a xylem vessel by an air bubble
3.
the insertion of one or more days into a calendar, esp the Jewish calendar; intercalation
4.
(RC Church) a prayer inserted in the canon of the Mass between the Lord's Prayer and the breaking of the bread
5.
another name (not in technical use) for embolus
Derived Forms
embolismic, adjective
Word Origin
C14: from Medieval Latin embolismus, from Late Greek embolismos intercalary; see embolus
Word Origin and History for embolism
n.

late 14c., "intercalation of days into a calendar," from Old French embolisme, from Late Latin embolismus "insertion of days in a calendar to correct errors," from Greek embolimos, embolme "insertion," or embolos "a plug, wedge" (see embolus). Medical sense of "obstruction of a blood vessel" is first recorded in English 1855.

embolism in Medicine

embolism em·bo·lism (ěm'bə-lĭz'əm)
n.

  1. The obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus.

  2. An embolus.

embolism in Science
embolism
  (ěm'bə-lĭz'əm)   

  1. A mass, such as an air bubble, detached blood clot, or foreign body, that travels in the bloodstream, lodges in a blood vessel, and obstructs or occludes it. Also called embolus.

  2. The obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by such a mass.


embolism in Culture

embolism definition


An obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an air bubble, a detached blood clot, or a foreign body.