artery

B2 Topic:The Human Body

US /ˈɑɹ.təɹ.i/ UK /ˈɑː.tə.ɹi/ See IPA manual

Freq #8311

Meanings

1

noun
A tube in the body that carries blood away from the heart.

Fatty deposits can block the arteries and cause heart problems.
2

noun
A main road, river, or railway that carries heavy traffic.

This highway is one of the city's busiest arteries.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a tube in the body that... arterial blood vessel

More arteria

Word family

Forms arterialarteries

Derived forms arterialarteritisarterylike

Related forms a-roadaortaarteri-arteriallyarterio-arterioleatheromacapillary vein

Appears in

Phrases (5)

See all

axillary artery
the section of the arm's main artery that passes through the armpit

Adjective + noun
labyrinthine artery
an artery supplying blood to structures of the inner ear

Adjective + noun
metatarsal artery
an artery that supplies the metatarsal region of the foot

Adjective + noun
nutrient artery
an artery that carries blood into the internal cavity of a long bone

Adjective + noun
ophthalmic artery
an artery supplying blood to the eye and nearby structures

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Artery entered English in the late Middle English period through Latin from Greek artēria, probably related to aeirein, “to raise.” Ancient writers associated the word with Greek aēr, “air,” because arteries found after death contain no blood and were therefore thought to be air ducts; medieval writers instead believed that they carried an ethereal substance called spiritual blood or vital spirits.

Etymology

Late Middle English arterie, borrowing from Old French artaire and Latin artēria (“a windpipe; an artery”), from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ρτηρῐ́ᾱ (ărtērĭ́ā, “windpipe; artery”).

arterie Middle English artaire Old French artēria Latin ᾰ̓ρτηρῐ́ᾱ Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

The Human Body

External links

# artery

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɑɹ.təɹ.i/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɑː.tə.ɹi/
**Frequency rank:** 8311

## Meanings
1. A tube in the body that carries blood away from the heart.
2. A main road, river, or railway that carries heavy traffic.

## Examples
- Fatty deposits can block the arteries and cause heart problems.
- This highway is one of the city's busiest arteries.

## Synonyms
- arteria

## Derived Forms
- arterial
- arteritis
- arterylike

## Related Forms
- a-road
- aorta
- arteri-
- arterially
- arterio-
- arteriole
- atheroma
- capillary
- vein

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: arterie
- Root: artaire
- Root: artēria
- Root: ᾰ̓ρτηρῐ́ᾱ

## Etymology
Late Middle English arterie, borrowing from Old French artaire and Latin artēria (“a windpipe; an artery”), from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ρτηρῐ́ᾱ (ărtērĭ́ā, “windpipe; artery”).

## AI Etymology
Late Middle English arterie, borrowing from Old French artaire and Latin artēria (“a windpipe; an artery”), from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ρτηρῐ́ᾱ (ărtērĭ́ā, “windpipe; artery”).

## Topics
- The Human Body

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