rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: ballein
Greek

ballein

throw or cast

Forms

  • ballein
  • ball- — The form retained in some derivatives.
  • bol- — A changed form used in other formations.
  • blē- — Another changed form found in related Greek words.

Origin

From an old Indo-European family associated with throwing or striking.

Note

Throwing can describe physical movement or putting an idea forward.

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A close longitudinal cutaway of a blood vessel shows a dark-red clot lodged at a narrowing, plugging the lumen, with red blood cells crowded upstream and almost none downstream.
noun

embolism

EM-buh-liz-um/ˈembəlɪzəm/

Blockage of a blood vessel by a clot or other material carried through the bloodstream.

Etymology
emGreekin, within
+bolGreekthrow or cast
+ismGreekan action, practice, or system

The pieces suggest “throwing in,” behind a Greek word for a peg or stopper thrust into something. The medical meaning applies that stopper image to material blocking a blood vessel.

Full entry

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