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

Therefore a subsecretion of the thyroid predisposes to arteriosclerosis, and increased secretion of the suprarenals predisposes to arteriosclerosis, the thyroid furnishing vasodilator substance and the suprarenals vasopressor substance to the blood.

From Disturbances of the Heart by Osborne, Oliver T. (Oliver Thomas)