occlusion

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun closure or blockage (as of a blood vessel)
  2. noun (meteorology) a composite front when colder air surrounds a mass of warm air and forces it aloft
  3. noun (dentistry) the normal spatial relation of the teeth when the jaws are closed

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin occlūsiō, occlūsiōnis (“occluding, obstruction”), from the Classical Latin occlūdō (“to shut up or close up; to restrain”), from ob + claudō (“to shut or close”).

In classic literature

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading