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

After missing the second-half of the season due to a hamstring avulsion, Prescott was a full participant in the team’s offseason program and is expected to carry those responsibilities into training camp. —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2025

Lat injuries typically are not treated surgically, but high-level athletes who experience a tendon avulsion sometimes undergo an operation. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025

The procedure for a tendon avulsion surgery carries a rehab of 10 to 12 months. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 9 May 2025

The earthquake had caused the avulsion, the first ever recognized in a delta. —Byeli Kintisch, science.org, 17 June 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