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vena contracta

American  
[vee-nuh kuhn-trak-tuh] / ˈvi nə kənˈtræk tə /

noun

Hydraulics.

PLURAL

venae contractae
  1. any of the locations in a jet of fluid emerging from an orifice where the cross section of the jet is at a minimum, especially the location of minimum cross section nearest the orifice.


Etymology

Origin of vena contracta

< New Latin: contracted vein