avulse

A1V4U1L1S1E1
/əˈvʌls/

verb

To tear off forcibly.

OriginLatin avulsus →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

verbavulse (third-person singular simple present avulses, present participle avulsing, simple past and past participle avulsed)

present singular third person avulses · participle present avulsing · participle past avulsed · past avulsed

  1. medicineTo tear off forcibly.

    An alternative is to avulse the nail of the second or third toe […]

    1997, chapter 7, in Manual of nail disease and surgery, →ISBN, page 70
    1 more example

    […] the resulting tension in the restraining ligament would be 600 pounds, sufficient to avulse the ligament.

    2004, chapter 10, in Shoulder Surgery, →ISBN, page 122

Origin

  1. Latinavulsus
  2. Englishavulse

From Latin avulsus, past participle of avello: ab- + vellō.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with avulse

pulserepulsedulseconvulsepropulsedepulse
All rhymes →

Anagrams

alveus
Cite this entry
APA

avulse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/avulse

MLA

“avulse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/avulse. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “avulse,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/avulse.

Source: avulse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.