rupture
noun /ˈrʌptʃə(r)/
/ˈrʌptʃər/
[countable, uncountable]- (medical) an injury in which something inside the body breaks apart or bursts (= explodes)
- the rupture of a blood vessel
- a situation when something breaks or bursts
- ruptures of oil and water pipelines
- (informal) a hernia of the abdomen
- I nearly gave myself a rupture lifting that pile of books.
- (formal) the ending of agreement or of good relations between people, countries, etc.
- a rupture in relations between the two countries
- Nothing could heal the rupture with his father.
Word Originlate Middle English (as a noun): from Old French rupture or Latin ruptura, from rumpere ‘to break’. The verb dates from the mid 18th cent.