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portal vein

American  

noun

Anatomy.
  1. the large vein conveying blood to the liver from the veins of the stomach, intestine, spleen, and pancreas.


portal vein British  

noun

  1. any vein connecting two capillary networks, esp in the liver ( hepatic portal vein )

"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

Etymology

Origin of portal vein

First recorded in 1835–45

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:

As expected, the treatment altered the microbiome and changed the balance of metabolites in both peripheral blood and the hepatic portal vein.

From Science Daily Dec. 14, 2025

Samples were taken from the hepatic portal vein, which carries blood from the intestine to the liver, and from peripheral blood, which travels from the liver to the heart before circulating through the body.

From Science Daily Dec. 14, 2025

The intestines harbor numerous gut bacteria, and sometimes these bacteria and their related substances can enter the liver through the portal vein.

From Science Daily Apr. 25, 2024

Nutrient-rich blood from the small intestine is then carried to the liver via the hepatic portal vein.

From Textbooks Jun. 19, 2013

It not only secretes a digestive fluid, the bile, but it acts upon the food brought to it by the portal vein, and regulates the supply of digested food to the general system.

From Science in the Kitchen. by Kellogg, Mrs. E. E.

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