avulsion
noun
avul·sion
ə-ˈvəl-shən 
: a forcible separation or detachment: such as
a
: a tearing away of a body part accidentally or surgically
b
: a sudden cutting off of land by flood, currents, or change in course of a body of water
especially
: one separating land from one person's property and joining it to another's
Examples of avulsion in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Enough force applied in the right (or perhaps wrong) direction could even completely separate the toenail from the nail bed, which is called a toenail avulsion.
—
Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Prescott’s hamstring was partially torn off the bone, a condition known as a partial avulsion.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 13 Nov. 2024
During the Cowboys' 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Prescott partially tore his right hamstring off the bone, otherwise known as a partial avulsion.
—Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 8 Nov. 2024
Instead, governments would tend to emerge in the resource-rich areas that remained close to rivers, or in those places that became closer to the new river channel following an avulsion.
—Jeff Opperman, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for avulsion
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Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Prescott’s hamstring was partially torn off the bone, a condition known as a partial avulsion.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 13 Nov. 2024
During the Cowboys' 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Prescott partially tore his right hamstring off the bone, otherwise known as a partial avulsion.
—Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 8 Nov. 2024
Instead, governments would tend to emerge in the resource-rich areas that remained close to rivers, or in those places that became closer to the new river channel following an avulsion.
—Jeff Opperman, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for avulsion
Cite this Entry
“Avulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avulsion. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
avulsion
noun
avul·sion
ə-ˈvəl-shən
: a tearing away of a body part accidentally or surgically
avulsion of the fingernail
Legal Definition
avulsion
noun
avul·sion
ə-ˈvəl-shən
: a sudden cutting off of land by flood or change in the course of a body of water
especially
: one that separates a portion from one person's property and joins it to the property of another compare accretion
Etymology
Latin avulsio act of tearing away, from avellere to tear away, from a- off, away + vellere to pull, pluck
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