embolus

UK: /ˈɛmbələs/ US: (em′bə ləs)

Inflections of 'embolus' (n): npl: emboli

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

em•bo•lus  (em′bə ləs), n., pl. -li (-lī′). [Pathol.]

1. Pathology undissolved material carried by the blood and impacted in some part of the vascular system, as thrombi or fragments of thrombi, tissue fragments, clumps of bacteria, protozoan parasites, fat globules, or gas bubbles.

• Greek émbolos stopper, equivalent. to em- em-² + bólos a throw, akin to bállein to throw
• Latin: piston
• 1660–70

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

embolus / ˈɛmbələs/ noun ( -li / -ˌlaɪ/)

1. material, such as part of a blood clot or an air bubble, that is transported by the bloodstream until it becomes lodged within a small vessel and impedes the circulation
   Compare thrombus

Etymology: 17th Century: via Latin from Greek embolos stopper, from emballein to insert, from ballein to throw; see emblem