Word: occlude (verb)

Associations

"Occlude" means to block or close something, especially a passage or opening.

• Medical: "The doctor said a blood clot can occlude an artery." Here, "occlude" means to block the artery.
• Dental: "The dentist explained how the teeth occlude when you bite." This means the teeth come together or close.
• General: "Leaves can occlude sunlight from reaching the ground." This means the leaves block the light.

Synonym: "block" is a common synonym. The difference is "occlude" is often used in technical or formal contexts (like medicine or science), while "block" is more everyday.

Substitution

Instead of "occlude," you can say:

• block (more common, less formal)
• close (if referring to closing an opening)
• obstruct (means to block but can be more general) Using "block" instead of "occlude" makes the sentence simpler but less precise in medical or technical talk.

Deconstruction

"Occlude" comes from Latin "occludere":

• "ob-" means "against" or "towards"
• "claudere" means "to close" So, "occlude" literally means "to close against" or "to shut."

Inquiry

• Can you think of places or things that can be occluded in your daily life?
• How is "occlude" different from simply "close" when talking about blocking something?
• Have you heard this word in a medical or scientific context before? What was it describing?