What does avulsed mean?
Avulsed means forcibly torn or separated from the place where something is normally attached. The word is especially associated with dentistry: an avulsed tooth has been knocked or otherwise forced out of its socket, usually through significant impact, and may sometimes be re-implanted if treated promptly. In medicine, it can also describe tissue, nerves, vessels, or digits separated by violent injury. The term is more precise than "loose" or "dislodged," because it indicates that forceful separation has occurred. As a past-tense or past-participle form of the verb avulse, it can also appear in technical writing. Although relatively uncommon in everyday speech, avulsed is useful in clinical and legal descriptions of traumatic injuries where the mechanism and severity of separation matter.
Having been forcibly torn or separated from its normal point of attachment, especially a tooth or other bodily structure.
"The emergency dentist treated the avulsed premolar."
Chiefly used in medical, dental, and anatomical contexts.
The past tense and past participle of avulse: to tear or pull away forcibly.
"The collision avulsed several teeth."
Used less frequently than the adjective form and found chiefly in technical or clinical writing.
An avulsed tooth has not merely fallen out; it has been forcibly separated from the socket, making every minute after the injury significant.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does avulsed come from?
Avulsed comes through French from Latin avulsus, the past participle of avellere, meaning "to tear off" or "pull off." The Latin verb was formed from the prefix ab- and vellere, "to pluck" or "pull out." The related noun avulsion and the cognate evulsion follow the same Latin root.
How avulsed is actually used
This is a formal term used chiefly in medical, dental, and anatomical contexts. It is more specific than simply "detached" and often implies that force, trauma, or a sudden movement caused the separation.
Easily confused with avulsed
Avulsed describes the detached structure or tissue, whereas avulsion names the act or process of forcibly tearing something away.