arterial
Americanadjective
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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.
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Anatomy. of, relating to, or resembling the arteries.
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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.
noun
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arterials
plural
adjective
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of, relating to, or affecting an artery or arteries
arterial disease
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denoting or relating to the usually bright red reoxygenated blood returning from the lungs or gills that circulates in the arteries
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being a major route, esp one with many minor branches
an arterial road
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of arterial
1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin artēriālis. See artery, -al 1
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:
In Gurugram, a high-speed arterial road cuts through busy neighbourhoods with few safe crossings.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
"Strikingly, when this receptor was removed from the mice, the development of arterial plaques dropped significantly in some areas and disruptions to the gut microbiome were minimized."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026
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
It was horribly depressing—and not just because it was for someone who’d died tragically young and for no particular reason aside from some bad arterial luck.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
About half of the buildings on the city’s list, often dotted near busy arterials like Rainier Avenue, Aurora Avenue or Lake City Way, have previously had a confirmed or suspected fire.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2024
“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
Roads like these exist across the country, including 900 miles of state highways, from Port Angeles to Spokane Valley, that double as major arterials.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 30, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
