embolus

(embə ləs)

noun pl. emboli

any foreign matter, as a blood clot or air bubble, carried in the bloodstream and capable of causing an embolism

Origin: ModL < Gr embolos, anything put in, wedge < emballein < en-, in + ballein, to throw: see ball

See embolus in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. em·bo·li (-līˌ)
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.

Origin:

Origin: Latin, piston of a pump

Origin: , from Greek embolos, stopper, plug

Origin: , from emballein, to insert; see emblem

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