vena cava
Americannoun
noun
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Either of two large veins that carry blood with low levels of oxygen to the right atrium of the heart.
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◆ The superior vena cava receives blood from the brain and upper limbs or forelimbs.
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◆ The inferior vena cava drains blood from the trunk and lower limbs or hindlimbs and is the largest vein in the body.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vena cava
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin vēna cava, literally “hollow vein”
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.
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
Was it possible that the extra blood that was supposed to go from the legs to the brain when the man stood up didn’t get there fast enough because of the narrowed vena cava?
From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2022
It flows into the superior vena cava at approximately the level of T2, making a significant contribution to the flow of blood.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
Table 20.11 summarizes the veins of the thoracic region that flow into the superior vena cava.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
No obvious source of the hæmorrhage was forthcoming, but it probably originated in one of the large branches of the vena cava.
From Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre by Makins, George Henry
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.
