(verb) : ā-vello, velli or vulsi, vulsum or volsum, 3, (
* Pluperf. avellerat, Curt. 5, 6, 5; perf. avulsi, Luc. 9, 764), to tear off or away, to pull or rend off (syn.: abripio, eximo).
* In gen. (class.): avellere tigna trabesque,to tear away planks and beams,Lucr. 6, 241: avolsaque saxa Montibus,the rocks rent from the mountains,id. 4, 141: avolsum umeris caput,Verg. A. 2, 558; so Ov. M. 3, 727; 2, 358: avolsos silices a montibus altis,Lucr. 5, 313: avolsus radicibus oculus,id. 3, 563: poma ex arboribus, si cruda sunt, vix avelluntur; si matura et cocta, decidunt,Cic. Sen. 19, 71; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 49 fin.: Cum ripa simul avolsos ferat Aufidus acer,Hor. S. 1, 1, 58; 2, 8, 89: Avellit frondes,Ov. M. 2, 351: summitatem frondium ejus avulsit,Vulg. Ezech. 17, 4 al.: Ex eā avolsa postea Therasia,Plin. 4, 12, 23, § 70: Euboea avolsa Boeotiae,id. 4, 12, 21, § 63.
* Esp.
* To take away by force, to tear away: rus ab aliquo,Ter. Eun. 3, 3, 14: pretium alicui,Hor. S. 1, 2, 104: fatale sacrato avellere templo Palladium,Verg. A. 2, 165: fundum emptori,Dig. 23, 7, 17; 40, 7, 3: avellamus eum ad nos,Vulg. Isa. 7, 6; so of carrying off the bride,Cat. 62, 21 Ellis.
* To separate from something by pulling, to part, to remove: aliquem de matris complexu avellere atque abstrahere,Cic. Font. 17: ab uberibus avellere,to wean,Vulg. Isa. 28, 9: ut sperem posse (eum) avelli,Ter. And. 3, 3, 21: Non potes avelli! simul, ah, simul ibimus, inquit,Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 81: complexu avolsus Iuli,Verg. A. 4, 616: ut avellerentur castris,Tac. A. 1, 44: se, to tear one's self away, Ter. Hec. 4, 1, 39.— And in pass. without the notion of violence, to withdraw: Et ipse avulsus est ab eis,Vulg. Luc. 22, 41 Tisch.—Trop.: aliquem a tanto errore,Cic. Off. 3, 4, 83.

s. TLL