capillary

[ kap-uh-ler-ee ]

See synonyms for capillary on Thesaurus.com

adjective

pertaining to or occurring in or as if in a tube of fine bore.
resembling a strand of hair; hairlike.

Physics.
- pertaining to capillarity.
- of or relating to the apparent attraction or repulsion between a liquid and a solid, observed in capillarity.
Anatomy. pertaining to a capillary or capillaries.

noun,plural cap·il·lar·ies.

Anatomy. one of the minute blood vessels between the terminations of the arteries and the beginnings of the veins.
Also called capillary tube . a tube with a small bore.

Origin of capillary

1570–80; capill(ar) (obsolete, <Latin capillāris pertaining to hair, equivalent to capill(us) hair + -āris-ar¹) + -ary

Other words from capillary

in·ter·cap·il·lar·y, adjective
non·cap·il·lar·y, adjective, noun, plural non·cap·il·lar·ies.

Words Nearby capillary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use capillary in a sentence

Lung glia may be involved in breathing and oxygen exchange in capillaries, Lucas says, but details are slim.
Glial cells may take on big jobs in unexpected parts of the body | Laura Sanders | June 2, 2022 | Science News
The goal is to run easy, and fuel well, which will help build denser mitochondria, boost capillary beds, improve mental toughness, improve muscular strength and improve running economy.
Get Fit With This Ten-Week Running Base-Building Plan | cobrien | January 25, 2022 | Outside Online
Forests are crisscrossed by snakelike rivers, and streams wind off them like veins and capillaries.
Volunteer pilots fly in the holiday cheer | Christina Tkacik | December 20, 2021 | Washington Post
These adaptations can include increased muscle mass, more intramuscular mitochondria to allow for higher rates of energy generation, and a larger number of capillaries around each muscle cell.
Hike farther and faster with these training tips | Alisha McDarris | November 10, 2021 | Popular-Science
Upon landing on her host, she uses her proboscis to detect the very small, thin-walled blood vessels called capillaries that crisscross our bodies just below the skin.
Evolution made mosquitos into stealthy, sensitive vampires | Erica McAlister | October 15, 2020 | Popular-Science

Most drivers using this road are headed to and from a handful of capillary valleys in the Pech.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
That was an axiom on which was founded a vigorous war against all capillary adornments.
The British Expedition to the Crimea | William Howard Russell
The leakage takes place, if not along cracks, through capillary channels, which are everywhere present in sea-ice.
The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
Of course you have to keep wetting it, for hair will not draw oil fast enough by capillary action.
Where the Pavement Ends | John Russell
These craft look as though they ought to sink by mere capillary attraction.
The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga | Cornelis De Witt Willcox
This is called capillary attraction, the word capillary meaning a hair.
Practical Mechanics for Boys | J. S. Zerbe

British Dictionary definitions for capillary

capillary

/ (kəˈpɪlərɪ) /

adjective

resembling a hair; slender
(of tubes) having a fine bore

anatomy of or relating to any of the delicate thin-walled blood vessels that form an interconnecting network between the arterioles and the venules
physics of or relating to capillarity

nounplural -laries

anatomy any of the capillary blood vessels
a fine hole or narrow passage in any substance

Origin of capillary

C17: from Latin capillāris, from capillus hair

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for capillary

capillary

[ kăp′ə-lĕr′ē ]

Any of the tiny blood vessels that connect the smallest arteries (arterioles) to the smallest veins (venules). Capillaries form a network throughout the body for the exchange of oxygen, metabolic waste products, and carbon dioxide between blood and tissue cells.

Cultural definitions for capillary

capillary

[ (kap-uh-ler-ee) ]

A thin tube, such as a blood vessel or a straw, through which fluids flow.

Notes for capillary

The interaction between the fluid and the vessel walls produces a force that can lift the fluid up into the tube, a phenomenon known as capillary action.

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