aortic arch

American  

noun

Embryology.

1. one member of a series of paired curved blood vessels that arise in the embryo from the ventral aorta, pass around the pharynx through the branchial arches, and join with the dorsal aorta to form the great vessels of the head and neck.

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Etymology

Origin of aortic arch

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Mice lacking the receptor developed significantly less plaque in the aorta and aortic arch, although some plaque remained in the pulmonary artery.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

Researchers also showed that vagal nerve cells in the heart’s aortic arch, which help regulate blood pressure, are not part of the pathway.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 1, 2023

That in turn loops under the aortic arch, part of the large artery carrying blood from the heart, and then travels back up the neck to the vocal cords.

From Scientific American • Sep. 29, 2022

Specifically, the more anterior parts of the alimentary canal are supplied with blood by arteries branching off the aortic arch and thoracic aorta.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

In dissection it will be found to lie over and hide the dorsal-ward sweep of the aortic arch.

From Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)