em·bo·lism

[em-buh-liz-uhm]
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
em·bo·lis·mic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To embolism
00:10
Embolism is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
embolism (ˈɛmbəˌlɪzəm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
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
 
[C14: from Medieval Latin embolismus, from Late Greek embolismos intercalary; see embolus]
 
embo'lismic
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

embolism
late 14c., "intercalation of days into a calendar," from O.Fr. embolisme, from L.L. embolismus "insertion of days in a calendar to correct errors," from Gk. embolimos, embolme "insertion," or embolos "a plug, wedge." Medical sense of "obstruction of a blood vessel" is first recorded in Eng. 1855.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

embolism em·bo·lism (ěm'bə-lĭz'əm)
n.

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

  2. An embolus.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
embolism   (ěm'bə-lĭz'əm)  Pronunciation Key 

  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.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

embolism definition


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

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
If a clot moves into an artery in the lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism.
He could have had a blood clot in the lung, called a pulmonary embolism.
If the clot travels from the site where it formed to another location in the body it is called an embolism.
The clot can quickly move to the lungs in a potentially fatal condition known as pulmonary embolism.
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