vena cava

American  

[vee-nuh key-vuh] / ˈvi nə ˈkeɪ və /

noun

Anatomy.

venae cavae plural

1. either of two large veins discharging blood into the right atrium of the heart, one superior vena cava, or precava conveying blood from the head, chest, and upper extremities and the other inferior vena cava or postcava conveying blood from all parts below the diaphragm.

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vena cava British  

/ ˈkeɪvə /

noun

1. either one of the two large veins that convey oxygen-depleted blood to the heart

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vena cava Scientific  

/ vē′nəkā′və /

venae cavae plural

1. Either of two large veins that carry blood with low levels of oxygen to the right atrium of the heart.

2. ◆ The superior vena cava receives blood from the brain and upper limbs or forelimbs.

3. ◆ The inferior vena cava drains blood from the trunk and lower limbs or hindlimbs and is the largest vein in the body.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• venae cavae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vena cava

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin vēna cava, literally “hollow vein”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vena cava

Parkhurst put a tiny tube through an incision into the patient’s jugular vein in his neck and slowly advanced it down past the heart into the vena cava where the filter was located.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2022

Next Parkhurst inserted tiny balloons that he inflated to reopen the threadlike stream through the narrowed vena cava.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2022

Blood in the inferior vena cava is deoxygenated.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

The inferior vena cava passes through the caval opening, and the esophagus and attached nerves pass through the esophageal hiatus.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Of these branches, one, our common vena cava, entered the right side of the heart.

From The Legacy of Greece Essays By: Gilbert Murray, W. R. Inge, J. Burnet, Sir T. L. Heath, D'arcy W. Thompson, Charles Singer, R. W. Livingston, A. Toynbee, A. E. Zimmern, Percy Gardner, Sir Reginald Blomfield by Livingstone, R.W.