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

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

In an avulsion, a river channel can suddenly change its course and shift to a new one, potentially quite distant from its previous path (see this timelapse of river movement in the Amazon from Google Earth Engine). —Jeff Opperman, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024

To put it in perspective, the most severe type of injury in this area would be a distal tendon avulsion (the hamstring coming unattached by the knee area). —Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 26 July 2024

During nail avulsion, your healthcare provider will numb the nail with an anesthetic before completely removing it. —Courtney Southwick, Health, 12 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined above

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