vascular
Americanadjective
adjective
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Relating to the vessels of the body, especially the arteries and veins, that carry blood and lymph.
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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
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.
JLL has so far made four platform investments from the new fund, including PowerParts Group, which makes parts for turbines, and medical-device maker Vascular Technology Inc., or VTI.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
Vascular dementia is the second-most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025
Chief Academic Officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study.
From Science Daily • Oct. 18, 2025
Vascular surgeon Samuel Chen then performed the angiogram, and blood flow was restored to the leg.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025
Vascular system generally present forming a closed system of tubes.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various
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.
