vena cava
Americannoun
noun
-
Either of two large veins that carry blood with low levels of oxygen to the right atrium of the heart.
-
◆ The superior vena cava receives blood from the brain and upper limbs or forelimbs.
-
◆ The inferior vena cava drains blood from the trunk and lower limbs or hindlimbs and is the largest vein in the body.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vena cava
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin vēna cava, literally “hollow vein”
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.
Parkhurst put a tiny tube through an incision into the patient’s jugular vein in his neck and slowly advanced it down past the heart into the vena cava where the filter was located.
From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
Was it possible that the extra blood that was supposed to go from the legs to the brain when the man stood up didn’t get there fast enough because of the narrowed vena cava?
From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
The blood vessels that transport blood into and out of the kidneys arise from and merge with the aorta and inferior vena cava, respectively.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The superior vena cava drains blood from regions superior to the diaphragm: the head, neck, upper limbs, and the thoracic region.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
He cannot expect blood to quietly pass through the diaphragm if impeded by muscular constriction around aorta, vena cava or thoracic duct.
From Philosophy of Osteopathy by Still, A. T. (Andrew Taylor)
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.
