aorta

American  

[ay-awr-tuh] / eɪˈɔr tə /

noun

Anatomy.

• aortas,
  plural
• aortae
  plural

1. the main trunk of the arterial system, conveying blood from the left ventricle of the heart to all of the body except the lungs.

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aorta British  

/ eɪˈɔːtə /

noun

1. the main vessel in the arterial network, which conveys oxygen-rich blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs

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aorta Scientific  

/ ā-ôr′tə /

• aortas
  plural

1. The main artery of the circulatory system, arising from the left ventricle of the heart in mammals and birds and carrying blood with high levels of oxygen to all the arteries of the body except those of the lungs.

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aorta Cultural  

1. The main blood vessel of the body; it carries blood from the left side of the heart to other arteries throughout the body. (See circulatory system.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aortal
  adjective
• aortic
  adjective
• postaortic
  adjective
• preaortic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aortae
  plural
• aortas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aorta

1570–80; < Medieval Latin < Greek aortḗ the great artery, literally, something hung, carried; akin to aeírein to lift, carry

Explanation

The aorta is a big artery — it’s the biggest one you’ve got. You have the aorta to thank for circulating oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. The aorta is sometimes called a trunk artery. It begins at the left ventricle of your heart and runs down your abdomen, with other smaller arteries branching off throughout your body. So it sort of looks like the trunk of a tree that supports other branches. The heart pumps the blood flowing through the aorta, which is sent throughout the body. The aorta does all this work even though it’s only about a foot long and an inch in diameter.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aorta aortae aortas

A dissection is when a tear occurs in the aorta’s inner lining, either in the ascending aorta or the descending one.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

With aortic dissection, a tear occurs in the wall of the aorta.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Isiekwe, who had surgery for a dilated aorta at the end of 2022, was named in Steve Borthwick’s 36-man squad this week for the autumn internationals.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2024

“I was missing my right leg below the knee, had a patched aorta and more broken bones than I can remember.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024

I felt the electricity enter my hand, shoot up my arm, and land like a ball of hornets in my aorta.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Below this point the thoracic and abdominal aortae are formed by the two primitive dorsal aortae which have fused to form a single median vessel.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6 "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of" by Various

The cephalic and abdominal aortae of Nautilus appear, after running to the anterior and posterior extremes of the animal respectively, to open into sinus-like spaces surrounding the viscera, muscular masses, &c.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 6 "Celtes, Konrad" to "Ceramics" by Various

Having reached the dorsum they turn backward toward the tail end and form the dorsal aortae; here, according to A.H.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6 "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of" by Various

There is no heart, but the ventral aorta is contractile, and the blood is driven forward in it and backward in the dorsal aortae.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6 "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of" by Various

She, Dr. LeMaire and their colleagues studied blood and tissue samples, stored at the Baylor College of Medicine, that belonged to patients with ballooning or ruptured aortas.

From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2013

He turned his attention to a pair of aortas.

From Forbes ● Jan. 29, 2013

Marfan victims often die young, in fact, after their aortas grow threadbare and rupture.

From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2012

She wasn’t having much pain, and that was typical of patients who have dilated aortas.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 28, 2012

The whole subject of the pathology of arteriosclerosis has been much enriched by the study of the experimental lesions produced by various drugs and microorganisms upon the aortas of rabbits.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Louis Marshall Warfield