artery

[ ahr-tuh-ree ]

noun

, plural ar·ter·ies.

1. Anatomy. a blood vessel that conveys blood from the heart to any part of the body.
2. a main channel or highway, especially of a connected system with many branches.

artery

/ ˈɑːtərɪ /

noun

1. any of the tubular thick-walled muscular vessels that convey oxygenated blood from the heart to various parts of the body Compare pulmonary artery vein
2. a major road or means of communication in any complex system

artery

/ är′tə-rē /

1. Any of the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the body's cells, tissues, and organs. Arteries are flexible, elastic tubes with muscular walls that expand and contract to pump blood through the body.

Word History and Origins

Origin of artery¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin artēria, from Greek artēría “windpipe, trachea, artery”; aorta

Word History and Origins

Origin of artery¹

C14: from Latin artēria, related to Greek aortē the great artery, aorta

Example Sentences

He had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and was found to have drowned in a hot tub.

From Salon

The Northern Trust say they currently offer it to heart failure patients who have had an ischaemic event, which is disruption of blood flow to the heart caused by disease of the coronary arteries.

From BBC

Vascular services diagnose and treat people for problems with arteries, veins or circulation, and are often used by patients who have other health issues, such as diabetes.

From BBC

In one passage, a man drives along L.A.’s concrete arteries, and several women on the street sing “freeway” in mystical harmonies.

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s densely populated too, and that combination of pedestrian traffic and the cars zooming along the main arteries of Wilshire and Olympic boulevards and Third Street, take a little bloom off the rose.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• avenue
• boulevard
• corridor
• duct
• highway
• passage
• pathway
• road
• route
• sewer
• thoroughfare
• tube