Occlusion

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈkluː.ʒən/

Definitions

1. The act of obstructing or sealing an opening or space, particularly in the context of anatomical passages or dental alignment
2. A situation where a passage becomes closed or blocked off, affecting bodily functions or the alignment of teeth when closed
3. The process or condition of a passage being closed off or sealed ; the way upper and lower teeth come together or fit when the mouth is closed

Etymology: The verb behind this noun is Classical Latin "occlūdere," built from "ob," meaning "against" or "in the way," and "claudere," meaning "to shut." Literally, then, the Romans' verb meant something like shutting something up in front of something else, and it could also carry the sense of restraining or confining. Late Latin turned the verb into the noun "occlūsiō," meaning an act of obstructing, and English borrowed that noun directly. The English word kept its physical sense of blocking a passage. Its medical and dental uses came later, as the word was applied to the closing of vessels or channels in the body and to the way upper and lower teeth meet when the jaws close. In dentistry, the term describes how the teeth come together, which is why a misaligned bite is called a malocclusion, with "mal-" meaning "bad."

Synonyms: blockage, obstruction, closure, impediment, barrier

Antonyms: opening, clearance, access, passage, freedom