occlude |əˈkluːd|
verb formal or technical
1 [ trans. ] stop, close up, or obstruct (an opening, orifice, or passage) : thick makeup can occlude the pores.
• shut (something) in : they were occluding the waterfront with a wall of buildings.
• technical cover (an eye) to prevent its use : it is placed at eye level with one eye occluded.
• Chemistry (of a solid) absorb and retain (a gas or impurity).
2 [ intrans. ] (of a tooth) close on or come into contact with another tooth in the opposite jaw.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Latin occludere ‘shut up.’