Main Entry: ¹vein

Pronunciation: \ˈvān\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English veine, from Anglo-French, from Latin vena

Date: 14th century

1 a : a narrow water channel in rock or earth or in ice b (1) : lode 2 (2) : a bed of useful mineral matter c : lode 3
2 : blood vessel; especially : any of the tubular branching vessels that carry blood from the capillaries toward the heart
3 a : any of the vascular bundles forming the framework of a leaf b : any of the thickened cuticular ribs that serve to stiffen the wings of an insect
4 : something suggesting veins (as in reticulation); specifically : a wavy variegation (as in marble)
5 a : a distinctive mode of expression : style <stories in a romantic vein> b : a distinctive element or quality : strain <introduced a welcome vein of humor> c : a line of thought or action
6 a : a special aptitude <inherited an artistic vein> b : a usually transitory and casually attained mood c : top form <thou troublest me; I am not in the vein — Shakespeare>

— vein·al \ˈvā-n^əl\ adjective