artery

artery
ar·ter·y (är’tə-rē)
n. pl. ar·ter·ies 1) Anatomy Any of the muscular elastic tubes that form a branching system and that carry blood away from the heart to the cells, tissues, and organs of the body. 2) A major route of transportation into which local routes flow: »

Traffic was heavy on the central artery.

[Middle English arterie, from Latin artēria, from Greek artēriā, windpipe, artery; see wer-1.]
Word History: The changed meaning of the word artery provides a glimpse into the history of medical science. The word is derived from the ancient Greek artēriā, a word originally applied to any of the vessels that emanated from the chest cavity, including arteries, veins, and the bronchial tubes. The difference in the functions of these vessels was not yet known; because they were all empty in cadavers, early anatomists supposed they all carried air. As medical knowledge advanced, however, students of anatomy realized that arteries carry blood and only the windpipe and bronchial tubes carry air. To specify the windpipe, they coined the phrase artēriā trakheia, "rough artery," referring to its rough cartilaginous structure. The adjective trakheia, "rough," entered modern English as trachea, the current medical term for the windpipe.

Word Histories. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Artery — Ar ter*y, n.; pl. {Arteries}. [L. arteria windpipe, artery, Gr. ?.] 1. The trachea or windpipe. [Obs.] Under the artery, or windpipe, is the mouth of the stomach. Holland. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anat.) One of the vessels or tubes which carry either… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • artery — (n.) late 14c., from Anglo Fr. arterie, O.Fr. artaire (13c.; Mod.Fr. artère), and directly from L. arteria, from Gk. arteria windpipe, also an artery, as distinct from a vein; related to aeirein to raise (see AORTA (Cf. aorta)). They were… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Artery — war ein britische Post Punk Band aus Sheffield, die 1979 gegründet wurde. Die Besetzung war Toyce Ashley (Gesang, Gitarre), Neil McKenzie (Gitarre), Mark Gouldthorpe (Gitarre) und Garry Wilson (Schlagzeug). Sie nannten sich ursprünglich The But …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • artery — [ärt′ər ē] n. pl. arteries [ME arterie < L arteria, windpipe, artery < Gr artēria, prob. < aeirein, to lift, take up] 1. any one of the system of thick walled blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart: cf. VEIN, CAPILLARY 2. a… …   English World dictionary

  • artery — index causeway, conduit (channel), way (channel) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • artery — route, course, *way, passage, pass …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • artery — [n] channel avenue, boulevard, canal, conduit, corridor, course, duct, highway, line, passage, pathway, road, route, sewer, thoroughfare, track, tube, way; concept 501 …   New thesaurus

  • artery — ► NOUN (pl. arteries) 1) any of the muscular walled tubes through which blood flows from the heart around the body. 2) an important route in a transport system. DERIVATIVES arterial adjective. ORIGIN Greek art ria …   English terms dictionary

  • artery — /ahr teuh ree/, n., pl. arteries. 1. Anat. a blood vessel that conveys blood from the heart to any part of the body. 2. a main channel or highway, esp. of a connected system with many branches. [1350 1400; ME < L arteria < Gk: windpipe, artery.… …   Universalium

  • artery — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ main, major ▪ blocked, clogged ▪ narrowed ▪ severed VERB + ARTERY …   Collocations dictionary

  • artery — n. blood vessel 1) a blocked, occluded; coronary; pulmonary; ruptured artery 2) (misc.) hardening of the arteries channel 3) a major; traffic artery * * * [ ɑːtərɪ] coronary occluded pulmonary ruptured artery traffic artery (misc.) hardening of… …   Combinatory dictionary

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