material, such as part of a blood clot or an air bubble, that is transported by the blood stream until it becomes lodged within a small vessel and impedes the circulation
Compare thrombus
Word origin
C17: via Latin from Greek embolos stopper, from emballein to insert, from ballein to throw; see emblem
Examples of 'emboli' in a sentence
emboli
Side effects can include severe bruising to fatal pulmonary emboli, when blood clots travel to the lungs.