Avulsion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The sudden forceful tearing away of tissue or body part ; the dental condition where a tooth is completely displaced from its socket
2. An abrupt detachment caused by trauma or injury ; the complete loss of a tooth from its natural position
3. A rapid physical separation of soft tissue or bone by external force ; the total removal of a tooth due to injury or accident

Etymology: "Avulsion" is a direct borrowing from Latin "avulsio," a noun built from the verb "avellere," meaning to pull away or tear off. That verb is itself a compound: the prefix "a-" (a variant of "ab-," meaning "away from") joined to "vellere," "to pull or pluck." So the word's core image is literal: something pulled off by force. English kept that physical sense. An avulsion is the violent tearing of something from its place, and the same root gave the Latin "vellere" its wider family of pluck-related words, which is why "avulsion" and "convulsion" share a sense of forceful pulling, though only the first kept the plain meaning of wrenching something free.

Synonyms: tearing, detachment, removal

Antonyms: attachment, joining