vein

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart

   all veins except the pulmonary vein carry unaerated blood

2. 2
   noun

   a distinctive style or manner

   They continued in this vein for several minutes.

3. 3
   noun

   A blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries back to the heart.

   The nurse hovered her vein finder to locate the veins in the patient's body.

4. 4
   noun

   A sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock.

   They general­ly occur in the earth in what are called veins, and are seldom found in the pure metallic state, but generally in combination with some other substance, in which state they are call­ed ores.

5. 5
   noun

   A topic of discussion; a train of association, thoughts, emotions, etc.

   in the same vein

6. 6
   noun

   A style, tendency, or quality.

   The play is in a satirical vein.

7. 7
   noun

   A fissure, cleft, or cavity, as in the earth or other substance.

   down to the veins of earth

8. 8
   verb

   To mark with veins or a vein-like pattern.

   […] as he ceased from that wild imprecation, a faint flash of lightning veined the remote horizon, and a low clap of thunder rumbled afar off, echoing among the hills […]

Etymology

From Middle English veyne, borrowed from Anglo-Norman veine, from Latin vēna (“a blood-vessel; vein; artery”) of uncertain origin. See vēna for more. Doublet of vena. Displaced native edre, from ǣdre (whence edder).