occlude

 
Pronunciation: /əˈkluːd/

verb

[with object] formal or technical
  • 1stop, close up, or obstruct (an opening, orifice, or passage): thick make-up can occlude the pores
  • shut in: they were occluding the waterfront with a wall of buildings
  • cover (an eye) to prevent its use: it is placed at eye level with one eye occluded
  • 2 [no object] (of a tooth) come into contact with another tooth in the opposite jaw: in monkeys and apes, the upper canine occludes with the lower first premolar
  • 3 Chemistry (of a solid) absorb and retain (a gas or impurity): occluded within these crystals are other molecules

Origin:

late 16th century: from Latin occludere 'shut up'