insertion
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of putting something into a hole, space, or another object.
the act of placing or introducing one thing into another.
Simple“The insertion of the key into the lock was difficult because the metal was rusty.”
In context“The surgeon performed the insertion of the catheter with great precision to avoid damaging the surrounding tissue.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'of' for the object and 'into' for the destination.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
something that has been added to a book, document, or piece of clothing.
a piece of material or text that is added or integrated into an existing structure.
Simple“The editor suggested the insertion of a new paragraph to explain the character's history.”
In context“The manuscript contained several late insertions that were written in the margins by a different author.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
the point where a muscle attaches to the bone that it moves.
the point or mode of attachment of a skeletal muscle to the bone or other body part that it moves.
Simple“The doctor explained that the pain was coming from the muscle's insertion at the elbow.”
In context“The physical therapist focused on the insertion of the deltoid muscle to determine the cause of the patient's restricted range of motion.”
UsageIn anatomy, the 'insertion' is contrasted with the 'origin', which is the fixed end of the muscle.
Teacher's tipThis is a highly specific term for medical or sports science contexts; general learners should use 'attachment point'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
when a new part is added to a piece of DNA by mistake.
a type of mutation involving the addition of one or more nucleotide base pairs into a DNA sequence.
Simple“A small insertion in the gene caused the protein to stop working correctly.”
In context“The researchers identified a chromosomal insertion that appeared to be responsible for the plant's resistance to the virus.”
“Each of us likely differs from it at millions of bases in our genome, and most of us probably carry some combinations of insertions, deletions, duplications, and flipped sequences.”
“After the successful insertion of a coronary stent, he announced that all dates would be cancelled.”
From insert + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.