vasodilator

American  

[vas-oh-dahy-ley-ter, -di-, -dahy-ley-, vey-zoh-] / ˌvæs oʊ daɪˈleɪ tər, -dɪ-, -ˈdaɪ leɪ-, ˌveɪ zoʊ- /

noun

Physiology, Pharmacology.

1. a nerve or drug that causes vasodilatation.

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vasodilator British  

/ ˌveɪzəʊdaɪˈleɪtə /

noun

1. a drug, agent, or nerve that can cause dilatation ( vasodilatation ) of the walls of blood vessels

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adjective

1. causing vasodilatation

Etymology

Origin of vasodilator

First recorded in 1880–85; vaso- + dilator

Example Sentences

NO is a vasodilator that relaxes the blood vessels and capillaries and may help with gas exchange and the passage of red blood cells through narrow vessels.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

For instance, the immune system releases a molecule after a vaccination known as a vasodilator, which inflates local blood vessels and can cause swelling and redness near the injection site.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2021

Like CGRP, it is a vasodilator found in the trigeminal nerve.

From Nature • Oct. 13, 2020

For years after her diagnosis, she walked around with a pump that constantly injected vasodilator medication into her veins, and continued to perform until she could no longer stand.

From Washington Post • Oct. 23, 2017

The smaller arteries all over the body are supplied with vasoconstrictor and vasodilator nerve fibers from the sympathetic nervous system.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Warfield, Louis Marshall