vascular
Americanadjective
adjective
-
Relating to the vessels of the body, especially the arteries and veins, that carry blood and lymph.
-
Relating to or having xylem and phloem, plant tissues highly specialized for carrying water, dissolved nutrients, and food from one part of a plant to another. Ferns and all seed-bearing plants have vascular tissues; bryophytes, such as mosses, do not.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vascular
From the New Latin word vāsculāris, dating back to 1665–75. See vasculum, -ar 1
Explanation
Use the adjective vascular when you're talking about blood vessels. One side effect of long-term smoking is vascular disease. The word vascular comes up in medicine and anatomy whenever there's discussion of the circulatory system, the series of vessels carrying blood around the body. Plants have vascular systems too, to carry water and nutrients throughout their systems. The word vascular comes from the Latin vascularis, "of or pertaining to vessels or tubes."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Surgery is a better choice for a person under 65 who has a longer life expectancy, said Dr. Lars Svensson, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
Martha Gulati is a preventive cardiologist and the inaugural director of the Davis Women’s Heart Center at the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
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 • Nov. 15, 2024
Their study, released Wednesday in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, assessed outcomes for people sickened in the first year of the pandemic and followed for a period of nearly three years.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2024
The blood vessels immediately expand—an effect known as "Vascular enlargement."
From Hygienic Physiology : with Special Reference to the Use of Alcoholic Drinks and Narcotics by Steele, Joel Dorman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
