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Origin of vein
1250–1300; Middle English veine < Old French < Latin vēna vein of the body, channel, ore deposit
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for vein
British Dictionary definitions for vein
vein
/ (veɪn) /
noun
verb (tr)
to diffuse over or cause to diffuse over in streaked patterns
to fill, furnish, or mark with or as if with veins
Derived Formsveinal, adjectiveveinless, adjectiveveinlike, adjectiveveiny, adjective
Word Origin for vein
C13: from Old French veine, from Latin vēna
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for vein
vein
c.1300, from Old French veine, from Latin vena "a blood vessel," also "a water course, a vein of metal, a person's natural ability or interest," of unknown origin. The mining sense is attested in English from late 14c. (Greek phleps "vein" had the same secondary sense). Figurative sense of "strain or intermixture" (of some quality) is recorded from 1560s; that of "a humor or mood, natural tendency" is first recorded 1570s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for vein
vein
[ vān ]
n.
Any of the branching blood vessels carrying blood toward the heart. All veins except the pulmonary vein carry dark unaerated blood.
v.
To supply or fill with veins.
Related formsvein′al adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for vein
vein
[ vān ]
Any of the blood vessels that carry blood toward the heart from the body's cells, tissues, and organs. Veins are thin-walled and contain valves that prevent the backflow of blood. All veins except the pulmonary vein carry blood with low levels of oxygen.
One of the narrow, usually branching tubes or supporting parts forming the framework of an insect's wing or a leaf. Veins in insect wings carry hemolymph and contain a nerve. Veins in leaves contain vascular tissue, with the xylem usually occurring on the upper side of the vein (bringing in water and nutrients) and the phloem on the lower side (carrying away food). See more at leaf venation.
A long, narrow deposit of mineral or rock that fills the void formed by a fracture or fault in another rock. The mineralogy of the host rock surrounding the vein is often altered where it is in contact with the vein because of chemical reactions between the two rock types.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.