avulsion
|a-vul-sion|
/əˈvʌl.ʃən/
a tearing away
Etymology
'avulsion' originates from Latin, specifically the noun 'avulsio' (from the past participle 'avulsus') of the verb 'avellere', where 'a-' (from 'ab-') meant 'away' and 'vellere' meant 'to pluck or pull'.
'avulsion' changed from Latin 'avulsio' into Medieval/Modern Latin and Old French forms and was borrowed into English (via scientific/medical Latin usage) as 'avulsion' with the same basic form.
Initially it meant 'the act of pulling or plucking away', and over time it came to be used specifically for medical, geological, and legal contexts to denote a tearing away or sudden removal.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a forcible tearing away or separation of tissue or a body part, often used in medical contexts (e.g., an avulsion injury where tissue or a ligament is torn away).
The athlete suffered an avulsion of the ligament that required surgical repair.
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Noun 2
the complete displacement of a tooth from its socket (dental avulsion).
Immediate reimplantation is recommended after a tooth avulsion to improve the chance of saving the tooth.
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Noun 3
a sudden removal or loss of land caused by water action (e.g., river avulsion) or, in property law, the sudden transfer of land by water, as opposed to gradual accretion.
A major avulsion of the river changed the channel and altered several property boundaries.
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Last updated: 2025/12/03 20:10