inosculation
- noun
- /ɪˈnɒskjʊleɪt/
- Specialized
- The gardener used inosculation to connect two branches of the tree, allowing them to grow together.
Examples
-
The surgeon performed an inosculation of the blood vessels to improve circulation.
-
Through inosculation, the vascular tissues of the plant became interconnected, promoting nutrient flow.
-
By this inosculation, humid vapors are subtly exhaled which corrupt or decompose the germs of things anxious to regenerate themselves.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
A piece of plant joined to another to grow as one
A connection between two tubes in the body, like blood vessels or intestine, that lets liquid flow between them
A growing together of separate parts into one whole
Bringing body parts together so they can heal after an injury or surgery
Joining part of one plant to another so it grows as one plant
Antonyms
How Joined
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
inosculation = inosculate (opaque) = in + osculate + ion
The verb 'inosculate' and its root 'osculate' are rare and technical; typical learners will not deduce 'inosculation' from its parts.
Etymology
Inosculation comes from the Latin parts in- 'in' and osculare 'to kiss'. Think of two tree branches or blood vessels 'kissing' as they touch and grow together, so inosculation means they join and become one continuous tube or branch.