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embolus

noun

  1. mass that travels through the bloodstream and lodges so as to obstruct or occlude a blood vessel
L1422619 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈɛmbələs/

noun

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

  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. 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 […]