Main Entry: ¹rup·ture

Pronunciation: \ˈrəp(t)-shər\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English ruptur, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French rupture, from Latin ruptura fracture, from ruptus, past participle of rumpere to break — more at reave

Date: 15th century

1 : breach of peace or concord; specifically : open hostility or war between nations
2 a : the tearing apart of a tissue <rupture of the heart muscle> <rupture of an intervertebral disk> b : hernia
3 : a breaking apart or the state of being broken apart