avulse

[ uh-vuhls ]

verb (used with object)

, a·vulsed, a·vuls·ing.

1. to pull off or tear away forcibly:

   to avulse a ligament.

Word History and Origins

Origin of avulse¹

1755–65; < Latin āvulsus, past participle of āvellere to pluck off, tear away, equivalent to ā- a- ⁴ + vul-, past participle stem of vellere to forcibly pull, pluck + -sus, variant of -tus past participle suffix

Example Sentences

“We realized this spectacular archive recorded a major event that reorganized the delta’s water pathways,” Chamberlain says, adding that the delta’s river channel probably hasn’t avulsed since then.

From Science Magazine

For example, the vast Pantanal, in the heart of South America, is kept rich and muddy by the avulsing Taquari River.

From Science Magazine

“His left hand was completely avulsed with part of the bones attached to the body while the hand skin and muscle got detached,” Dr. Abhishek Ghosha, a micro-vascular surgeon who treated the boy, said.

From Fox News

In the last seven thousand years, the river has avulsed six times, and each time it has set about laying down a new bulge of land.

From The New Yorker

The X-ray showed that a bit of bone had avulsed from his pelvis.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• cull
• derive
• distill
• elicit
• exact
• extort
• extricate
• glean
• obtain
• pluck
• pry
• pull
• reap
• separate
• siphon
• squeeze
• withdraw
• wrest
• wring