What does emboli mean?
'Emboli' is the plural form of 'embolus,' a term from medicine denoting masses of foreign or displaced material that drift through the bloodstream until they become wedged in a vessel too narrow to pass. The most familiar culprits are detached blood clots, but emboli can also consist of fat droplets, air bubbles, amniotic fluid, cholesterol debris from plaques, or clumps of cells. Wherever they lodge, they cut off the downstream blood supply, which can cause serious events such as a pulmonary embolism in the lungs or an ischemic stroke in the brain. The word derives from the Greek 'embolos,' meaning something wedged or thrown in—a fitting description for matter forcibly inserted into the circulatory system. Because it is a precise clinical term rather than everyday vocabulary, 'emboli' appears chiefly in medical reports, pathology discussions, and health journalism, where distinguishing a traveling embolus from a stationary thrombus matters for diagnosis and treatment.
nounEmboli is the plural of 'embolus': masses of material—such as a blood clot, fat globule, air bubble, or clump of cells—that travel through the bloodstream and lodge in a vessel, obstructing blood flow.
- (medicine) Plural of embolus: masses of material such as clots, fat, air bubbles, or tissue fragments that travel through the bloodstream until they lodge in and obstruct a vessel.
"The autopsy revealed multiple pulmonary emboli that had originated as clots in the patient's legs."
"Scans confirmed that several small emboli had lodged in the vessels of both lungs."
"During deep-sea ascent, nitrogen bubbles can act as gas emboli, blocking circulation in divers who surface too quickly."
'Emboli' is itself a plural (of 'embolus'); it should not be used with a singular sense. The singular is 'embolus.'
"Multiple emboli were detected on the contrast-enhanced CT scan."
Every 'embolus' is literally an intruder—the ancient Greek word means something 'wedged in' or 'thrown inside,' which is exactly what these wandering clots do to your arteries.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of emboli
The word traces back to the Greek 'embolos,' meaning 'something thrown in' or 'wedged in,' formed from the prefix 'en-' (in) and 'ballein' (to throw or cast). Latin adopted it as 'embolum,' and the term entered English medical vocabulary in the 17th century alongside early descriptions of circulating obstructions in the blood. It shares its Greek root with words such as 'problem,' 'symbol,' 'hyperbole,' and 'metabolism,' all built on the verb 'ballein.' The singular 'embolus' follows the Latinized second-declension pattern, giving 'emboli' as its regular plural.
Related word forms
How emboli is actually used
'Emboli' is the standard plural of 'embolus' and is used almost exclusively in medical and clinical contexts; it carries a technical, formal register. In everyday writing about health, people more often refer to a single 'blood clot' or to the condition ('pulmonary embolism'). The singular 'embolus' is less frequently encountered than the plural, since embolic events often involve multiple particles.
Easily confused with emboli
A thrombus forms and remains at its site of origin in a vessel, whereas an embolus (plural emboli) breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream before lodging elsewhere.
An embolism is the medical condition or event caused when an embolus blocks a vessel; 'emboli' refers to the traveling objects themselves.