thoracic duct

American

noun

Anatomy.

the main trunk of the lymphatic system, passing along the spinal column in the thoracic cavity, and conveying a large amount of lymph and chyle into the venous circulation.

thoracic duct British

noun

the major duct of the lymphatic system, beginning below the diaphragm and ascending in front of the spinal column to the base of the neck

"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 thoracic duct

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

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thoracic duct

Figure 21.4 Major Trunks and Ducts of the Lymphatic System The thoracic duct drains a much larger portion of the body than does the right lymphatic duct.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The chylomicrons are transported in the lymphatic vessels and empty through the thoracic duct into the subclavian vein of the circulatory system.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The lymph from the rest of the body enters the bloodstream through the thoracic duct via all the remaining lymphatic trunks.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

On the left side of the body, the remaining portions of the body drain into the larger thoracic duct, which drains into the left subclavian vein.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

He, however, failed to trace them to the thoracic duct, and believed them to terminate in the liver.

From Fathers of Biology by Charles McRae

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023