English
embolus
Embolus comes from Latin embolus ‘piston’, from Ancient Greek ἔμβολος ‘peg, stopper’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-1‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-1reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnō1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλω2‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐμβάλλω3‘to throw in’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔμβολος4émbolos‘peg, stopper’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEembolus4‘piston’
- Englishearliest quotation 1996embolus4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἔμβολος
- 4 Wiktionary, English embolus
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1996, Michael J Roberts, Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe: “Those spiders with a simple bulb insert most of…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnōWiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐμβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἔμβολος‘to throw in’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔμβολοςWiktionary, English embolusémbolos‘peg, stopper’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEembolusWiktionary, English embolus‘piston’
- Englishearliest quotation 1996embolusWiktionary, English embolus. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1996, Michael J Roberts, Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe: “Those spiders with a simple bulb insert most of…”
The story
The term was coined in 1848 by Rudolf Virchow From Latin embolus (‘piston’), from Ancient Greek ἔμβολος (émbolos, “peg, stopper”).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’
ball, quail, quill, quell, obelisk, pul, 64 more
through Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
ballistic, symbolic, ballista, symbolist, 35 more
through Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw’
problem, devil, symbol, metabolic, parable, hyperbolic, parabolic, anabolic, metabolize, hyperbola, 34 more
through Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω ‘to throw in’
Today it means
noun An obstruction causing an embolism: a blood clot, air bubble or other matter carried by the bloodstream and causing a blockage or occlusion of a blood vessel.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “embolus”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek βάλλω, Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω, Ancient Greek ἔμβολος. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- / embolus