artery

noun

ar·​tery ˈär-tə-rē How to pronounce artery (audio)
ˈär-trē
plural arteries
Synonyms of arterynext
1
: any of the tubular branching muscular- and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body
2
: a channel (such as a river or highway) of transportation or communication
especially : the main channel in a branching system

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of artery in a Sentence

He favors local side roads over major arteries. there's an accident on the main artery into town, so I'll be late
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a nutshell, Tony miraculously survived 100% blockage in an artery that feeds oxygen to a major portion of the heart. —Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 14 Nov. 2024 With an ischemic stroke, a blood clot blocks a brain artery. —Alexandria Nyembwe, Phd, Rn, Health, 6 Nov. 2024 Heart disease was defined as narrowed arteries, atrial fibrillation, stroke and heart failure. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 21 Oct. 2024 The second number, diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart is resting between beats. —Alyssa Hui-Anderson, Verywell Health, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for artery 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arterie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French arteire, arterie, borrowed from Latin artēria "trachea, bronchial tubes (in plural artēriae), artery," borrowed from Greek artēría, from ar- (contracted from *awer-), base of aeírein "to join, attach, harness" (of uncertain origin) + -tēr, agentive suffix + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at aorta

Note: Compare, without the second suffix, Greek artḗr "something by which a burden is carried" (Septuagint). The semantic relation between the verb aeírein and the sense "trachea" parallels that between the verb and the derivative aortḗ "aorta, bronchial tubes" (see aorta). The extension of the meaning from "trachea" to "artery" is presumably because the arteries were believed to carry air to the extremities of the body as well as blood.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of artery was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing artery

Dictionary Entries Near artery

arteritis

artery

artesian

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Artery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artery. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

artery

noun
ar·​tery ˈärt-ə-rē How to pronounce artery (audio)
plural arteries
1
: one of the tube-shaped branching muscular-walled and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart to all parts of the body
2
: a channel (as a river or highway) of transportation or communication
especially : the main channel in a branching system

Medical Definition

artery

noun
ar·​tery ˈärt-ə-rē How to pronounce artery (audio)
plural arteries
: any of the tubular branching muscular- and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body

More from Merriam-Webster on artery

Nglish: Translation of artery for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of artery for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about artery

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