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

Prescott sustained a partial avulsion, meaning the hamstring tendon partially tore off the bone during the Cowboys' Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025

Rivers occasionally flow over their banks to create a new path, a phenomenon known as an avulsion. —Byeli Kintisch, science.org, 17 June 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for avulsion

• compulsion
• convulsion
• emulsion
• expulsion
• impulsion
• propulsion
• repulsion
• revulsion
• microemulsion

Medical 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