-io

an action, process, or result

Forms

-io
-ion- — The longer form used before Latin endings.
-ion — The form carried into many English nouns.

Origin

An old Latin noun ending, inherited from earlier Indo-European word formation.

Note

The ending can name both an activity and what that activity produces.

172 / 371

noun

expulsion

ik-SPUHL-shun/ɪkˈspʌlʃn/

The act of forcing someone or something out.

The man's expulsion forces him outside despite his resistance at the doorway.

At an open building doorway, a staff member physically forces a resisting man across the threshold toward the outside.

Etymology

exLatinout, away; also thoroughly

+pulsLatinpush or drive

+ionLatinan action, process, or result

The pieces express an act of driving out. First used in English for expelling matter from the body, the word broadened to forcible ejection or compulsory dismissal.

In context

Med4Care EN0:17

By vomit, or emesis, we mean the expulsion of gastric contents in a retro-grade direction, that is, from the body towards the outside.

NAUSEA AND VOMIT: Two of the Most Common Symptoms

More examples

The club votes for his expulsion after repeated threats.
Coughing helps with the expulsion of mucus from the lungs.
Several students appeal their expulsions.

Forms

expulsion · expulsions

expel verb — To force someone or something out.

Similar words

ejection: Ejection emphasizes physical removal, often sudden or forceful.
removal: Removal is broader and need not involve force.