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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.

In healthy mice, the team detected 111 metabolites enriched in the hepatic portal vein and 74 in peripheral blood.

From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2025

This contrast suggests that genetic background plays a central role in shaping which metabolites appear in the hepatic portal vein.

From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2025

The liver and intestines are directly connected via the portal vein, a blood vessel that transports nutrients absorbed in the intestines directly to the liver.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2024

Plates of hepatocytes called hepatic laminae radiate outward from the portal vein in each hepatic lobule.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The blood which is brought to it by the portal vein, being venous, is not fit to nourish it.

From A Practical Physiology by Blaisdell, Albert F.