arterial

American  

[ahr-teer-ee-uhl] / ɑrˈtɪər i əl /

adjective

1. Physiology. pertaining to the blood in the pulmonary vein, in the left side of the heart, and in most arteries, having been oxygenated during its passage through the lungs and being normally bright red.

2. Anatomy. of, relating to, or resembling the arteries.

3. being or constituting a main route, channel, or other course of flow or access, often with many branches.

   an arterial highway; an arterial drainage system.

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noun

1. a main route, channel, or other course of flow or access.

   funds to resurface the main arterials of the city.

arterial British  

/ ɑːˈtɪərɪəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or affecting an artery or arteries

   arterial disease

2. denoting or relating to the usually bright red reoxygenated blood returning from the lungs or gills that circulates in the arteries

3. being a major route, esp one with many minor branches

   an arterial road

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Other Word Forms

• arterially adverb
• nonarterial adjective
• postarterial adjective

Etymology

Origin of arterial

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin artēriālis. See artery, -al ¹

Example Sentences

Those conditions are pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension with interstitial lung disease.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

But some think the remaining uncertainty of further closures on this arterial rail line shows the South West is being sidelined.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Analysts are also paying close attention to its new pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Winrevair, which brought in $1.4 billion in sales in 2025 and crossed the $1.0 billion sales threshold for the first time.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026

The mice stayed lean, and their lipid profiles remained unchanged, indicating that traditional risk factors such as obesity or high cholesterol did not explain the heightened arterial damage.

From Science Daily • Nov. 18, 2025

It was horribly depressing—and not just because it was for someone who’d died tragically young and for no particular reason aside from some bad arterial luck.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman