embole

Embole is a term that does not have a single, widely accepted definition in English. In practice, it often appears as a misspelling or variant of other, more established terms such as embolus or embolism, particularly in medical contexts.

In medicine, embolus refers to a detached intravascular particle that travels through the bloodstream and can lodge in a vessel, potentially causing obstruction and ischemia. Embolism is the condition resulting from such an obstruction. Because embolus and embolism are well established, embole is not typically used as a technical term in modern clinical literature, and its appearance is usually considered a spelling variation or typographical error.

Outside medicine, there is no consensus meaning for embole as a standalone term. The related concept of embolism is also used in botany to describe air entering the xylem and disrupting water transport, though this sense uses the standard term embolism rather than embole. In linguistic or onomastic contexts, embole may occasionally occur as a proper noun, such as a surname or place name in limited or historical usage, but such uses are rare and not widely documented.

Because of spelling and context factors, encountering embole should prompt checking the surrounding text to determine whether the intended meaning is embolus, embolism, or a different proper noun. When in doubt, consulting a reliable dictionary or the original source is advised. See also: embolus, embolism, embolization.