embolus

em·bo·lus  (mb-ls)

n. pl. em·bo·li (-l)

A mass, such as an air bubble, a detached blood clot, or a foreign body, that travels through the bloodstream and lodges so as to obstruct or occlude a blood vessel.

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[Latin, piston of a pump, from Greek embolos, stopper, plug, from emballein, to insert; see emblem.]

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embolus

Noun

pl -li Pathol a blood clot, air bubble, or other stoppage that blocks a small blood vessel [Greek embolos stopper]

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embolus  (mb-ls)

Plural emboli (mb-l)

See embolism.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

embolus - an abnormal particle (e.g. an air bubble or part of a clot) circulating in the blood clot, coagulum - a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid embolism - occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus (a loose clot or air bubble or other particle)