noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈɛmbəlɪzəm/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:[ˈɛmbɫ̩ɪzm̩]
CMU ARPABET:EH1 M B OW0 L IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus, that is by a blood clot, air bubble or other matter that has been transported by the blood stream.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The insertion or intercalation of days into the calendar in order to correct the error arising from the difference between the civil year and the solar year.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An intercalated prayer for deliverance from evil coming after the Lord's Prayer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: Christianity
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The variable body of a liturgical preface, between the protocol and eschatocol, typically stating the motive for worship on a given day.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus (a loose clot or air bubble or other particle)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: occlusion
Narrower terms: air embolism, aeroembolism, gas embolism, fat embolism, pulmonary embolism
6
noun
Meaning 6
an insertion into a calendar
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: intercalation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: time interval, interval
History
Etymology
The term was coined in 1848 by Rudolf Virchow. From Old French embolisme (“intercalation of days in a calendar to correct errors”), from Late Latin embolismus, from Ancient Greek ἐμβολισμός (embolismós, “intercalary”), from ἐμβάλλω (embállō, “to insert, throw in”).
Across languages
Translations
35 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
embolisme
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Bulgarian:
емболия
(embolija)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Catalan:
embòlia
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Chinese Mandarin:
栓塞
(shuānsè)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Czech:
embolie
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Danish:
emboli
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Dutch:
embolie
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Esperanto:
embolio
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Finnish:
embolia
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
French:
embolie
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
German:
Embolie
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Greek:
εμβολή
(emvolí)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Greek:
εμβολισμός
(emvolismós)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Hungarian:
embólia
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Icelandic:
blóðrek
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Ido:
embolio
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Indonesian:
emboli
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Irish:
eambólacht
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Italian:
embolia
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Japanese:
塞栓
(sokusen)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Kazakh:
эмболия
(émboliä)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Korean:
색전증
(saekjeonjeung)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Kyrgyz:
эмболия
(emboliya)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Lithuanian:
embolija
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Malay:
embolik
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Polish:
zator
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Portuguese:
embolia
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Russian:
эмболи́я
(embolíja)
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Slovak:
embólia
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Spanish:
embolia
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Swedish:
emboli
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Turkish:
embolizm
— obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
Catalan:
embolisme
— insertion of leap days into the calendar year
French:
embolisme
— insertion of leap days into the calendar year
Spanish:
embolismo
— insertion of leap days into the calendar year
