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

• arterials
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonarterial
  adjective
• postarterial
  adjective
• arterially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• arterials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of arterial

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arterial arterials

The report simply stated there is “no arterial obstruction or structural abnormalities” in the heart or major blood vessels, which could simply mean there isn’t a blockage, physicians said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

One good test, she says, looks for an enzyme called myeloperoxidase, which can indicate arterial inflammation.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

In rat models, they found proof of concept that the approach could be useful for traumatic brain injury and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

Pulmonary embolism and hereditary coagulopathy — an arterial blockage in the lungs and issues with blood clotting either too much or too little — contributed to his death, People said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

The clouds parted, and the lightning’s true source revealed itself—not lightning at all, no, but fireworks bursting in arterial gushes of blue and crimson.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

“Which offered more land for parking, easier loading and unloading by trucks, convenient access to highways and arterials, and a development context for much larger stores.”

From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2024

Interstate highways and wide arterials are now a defining feature of most metropolitan areas, their constant flow of cars spewing pollution into nearby neighborhoods.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2023

A whole levy could be spent just on repaving arterials or building sidewalks.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 5, 2023

The urban forester’s desire for bigger canopies and the street designer’s plan for a real bus shelter cannot be overruled by the transportation department’s desire to keep traffic moving smoothly on urban arterials.

From Slate ● May 22, 2023

The city already has reduced speed limits on most arterials, redesigned dangerous streets like Rainier Avenue, built out more bike lanes, given pedestrians a head start when crossing intersections and more.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2023