Embolus

//ˈɛmbələs// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An obstruction causing an embolism: a blood clot, air bubble or other matter carried by the bloodstream and causing a blockage or occlusion of a blood vessel.
  2. 2
    an abnormal particle (e.g. an air bubble or part of a clot) circulating in the blood wordnet
  3. 3
    The structure on the end of the palp of male arachnids which contains the opening to the ejaculatory duct.

    "Those spiders with a simple bulb insert most of this; those with a complex palp insert only the embolus, which in some species is very long […]"

Synonyms

All synonyms
barbarrierblank wallblind alleyblockblockade

Example

More examples

"Those spiders with a simple bulb insert most of this; those with a complex palp insert only the embolus, which in some species is very long […]"

Etymology

The term was coined in 1848 by Rudolf Virchow From Latin embolus (“piston”), from Ancient Greek ἔμβολος (émbolos, “peg, stopper”).

Related phrases

blood clotblood vessel

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.