capillary

[ kap-uh-ler-ee ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or occurring in or as if in a tube of fine bore.
2. resembling a strand of hair; hairlike.
3. Physics.
   1. pertaining to capillarity.
   2. of or relating to the apparent attraction or repulsion between a liquid and a solid, observed in capillarity.
4. Anatomy. pertaining to a capillary or capillaries.

noun

, plural cap·il·lar·ies.

1. Anatomy. one of the minute blood vessels between the terminations of the arteries and the beginnings of the veins.
2. Also called capillary tube. a tube with a small bore.

capillary

/ kəˈpɪlərɪ /

adjective

1. resembling a hair; slender
2. (of tubes) having a fine bore
3. anatomy of or relating to any of the delicate thin-walled blood vessels that form an interconnecting network between the arterioles and the venules
4. physics of or relating to capillarity

noun

1. anatomy any of the capillary blood vessels
2. a fine hole or narrow passage in any substance

capillary

/ kăp′ə-lĕr′ē /

1. Any of the tiny blood vessels that connect the smallest arteries (arterioles) to the smallest veins (venules). Capillaries form a network throughout the body for the exchange of oxygen, metabolic waste products, and carbon dioxide between blood and tissue cells.

capillary

1. A thin tube, such as a blood vessel or a straw, through which fluids flow.

Notes

The interaction between the fluid and the vessel walls produces a force that can lift the fluid up into the tube, a phenomenon known as capillary action.

Other Words From

• in·ter·cap·il·lar·y adjective
• non·cap·il·lar·y adjective noun plural noncapillaries

Word History and Origins

Origin of capillary¹

1570–80; capill ( ar ) (obsolete, < Latin capillāris pertaining to hair, equivalent to capill ( us ) hair + -āris -ar ¹ ) + -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of capillary¹

C17: from Latin capillāris, from capillus hair

Example Sentences

By the end of the test, these different kidney cell types had assembled into a glomerular capillary wall and could efficiently filter molecules by size.

From Science Daily

Researchers hope these artificial capillaries will aid in the development of better snakebite treatments while lowering the dependence on animal models.

From Science Magazine

There, they feed into a second network of capillaries that supply oxygen deeper into the tissue.

From Science Daily

That’s in part because consistent and frequent exercise prompts your body to form new capillaries.

From Seattle Times

"We have big arteries and smaller branches, the capillaries. They are extremely thin, penetrating your brain and spinal cord, and bringing oxygen places so they can survive," Christopoulos said.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• hair
• lode
• nerve
• seam
• stripe