immobilization

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The act or process of preventing a thing from moving.

   “The broken bones were able to heal, thanks to the immobilization of her leg in a cast.”

   “Treatment of an acute occult dislocation of the ankle consists of immobilization in a snugly fitting plaster-of-paris cast, with little padding.”

   “We are also extracting DNA, both from blood collected during immobilizations and from hyena feces.”

2. (countable, uncountable)The process in which organic soil matter is decomposed and absorbed by microorganisms, and thus not available to plants.