vena cava

American  

[vee-nuh key-vuh] / ˈvi nə ˈkeɪ və /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

venae cavae

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.

---

vena cava British  

/ ˈkeɪvə /

noun

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

---

vena cava Scientific  

/ vē′nəkā′və /

plural

venae cavae

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of vena cava

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

Example Sentences

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

Parkhurst used a tiny gripping tool to grasp the hook and pull the filter up through the vena cava and out through the small incision in the patient’s neck.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2022

They end with the exiting of the renal veins to join the inferior vena cava.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

They end with the exiting of the renal veins to join the superior vena cava.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

It has been definitely determined that the impulse to cardiac contraction originates in the sinus node, a collection of differentiated nerve cells situated at the junction of the superior vena cava with the right auricle.

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