artery
Americannoun
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arteries
plural
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Anatomy. a blood vessel that conveys blood from the heart to any part of the body.
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a main channel or highway, especially of a connected system with many branches.
noun
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any of the tubular thick-walled muscular vessels that convey oxygenated blood from the heart to various parts of the body Compare pulmonary artery vein
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a major road or means of communication in any complex system
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of artery
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin artēria, from Greek artēría “windpipe, trachea, artery”; see aorta
Explanation
An artery is a major blood vessel that carries blood away from your heart. For a healthy heart, keep your arteries clean! The word artery comes from the Greek arteria, which means "windpipe." In ancient times, an artery was thought to be a kind of air duct, because after someone dies, their arteries are empty of blood. Today we know that arteries (and veins) perform a vital job, constantly moving blood around our bodies. Systems of rivers or roads with networks and branches that resemble the human circulatory system can also be called arteries.
Vocabulary lists containing artery
"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle
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Red Kayak
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Human Anatomy and Physiology - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
Although mostly single carriageway with few overtaking lanes, it is a vital artery of the Northern Ireland road network and has more than 200 side roads connecting to it.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Shipping routes through the Red Sea are a vital artery of the world economy.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
"Our findings suggest that not everyone necessarily needs or would benefit from a coronary artery calcium scan for the purpose of predicting risk of heart attack and stroke."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
In principle, that could reduce the amount of cholesterol available to contribute to plaque formation in artery walls.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
It’s a “weakening of a blood vessel,” like a little bubble that swells out from a vein or an artery.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
The bridge is one of the main transport arteries across the Dnipro River dividing western and eastern parts of Kyiv.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Pivdennyi bridge is one of the main arteries across the Dnipro river dividing western and eastern Kyiv.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Taiwan risk therefore runs through two enormous arteries of the global economy: semiconductors and shipping.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
The device is placed in the arteries and temporarily blocks small blood vessels in the knee that may contribute to inflammation and pain.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Harvey actually measured the capacity of the heart, which he described as being like an inflated glove, and worked out how much blood it was pumping into the arteries each minute.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
