vascular
Americanadjective
adjective
-
Relating to the vessels of the body, especially the arteries and veins, that carry blood and lymph.
-
Relating to or having xylem and phloem, plant tissues highly specialized for carrying water, dissolved nutrients, and food from one part of a plant to another. Ferns and all seed-bearing plants have vascular tissues; bryophytes, such as mosses, do not.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of vascular
From the New Latin word vāsculāris, dating back to 1665–75. See vasculum, -ar 1
Explanation
Use the adjective vascular when you're talking about blood vessels. One side effect of long-term smoking is vascular disease. The word vascular comes up in medicine and anatomy whenever there's discussion of the circulatory system, the series of vessels carrying blood around the body. Plants have vascular systems too, to carry water and nutrients throughout their systems. The word vascular comes from the Latin vascularis, "of or pertaining to vessels or tubes."
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.
“If I was creating a report to send to another physician, I would have mentioned a little bit more about the carotid ultrasound,” said Dr. William Shutze, a Texas vascular surgeon.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
“He’s got like the best cholesterol numbers you’ll see,” said Dr. Daniel Torrent, a Georgia vascular surgeon, who added that it is unusual for medication to achieve such favorable numbers.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
Her husband Omar Al-Nouri, a vascular surgeon in the neighbouring city of La Jolla, received the same message and rushed down to the school.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Scientists increasingly view Alzheimer's as both a neurological and vascular disease, with disrupted blood flow and blood-brain barrier damage contributing to the spread of toxic proteins.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
It was spirit of the body—the clear fluid pumped by the second heart through its own network of vessels, subtler and more mysterious than the primary vascular system.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini 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.
