carotid artery

noun

variants or carotid

: either of the two main arteries that supply blood to the head of which the left in humans arises from the arch of the aorta and the right by bifurcation of the brachiocephalic artery with each passing up the side of the neck and dividing opposite the upper border of the thyroid cartilage into an external branch supplying the face, tongue, and external parts of the head and an internal branch supplying the brain, eye, and other internal parts of the head

Examples of carotid artery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bullet struck the woman in her jaw, authorities said, just missing her carotid artery. — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 27 May 2026

Those who score higher on self-compassion have thinner carotid artery walls and less plaque buildup than those with lower self-compassion. — Bybryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 1 Feb. 2026

The implant sits near the carotid sinus, a section of the carotid artery that contains pressure-sensitive nerve endings. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026

People come in with what could be blocked carotid arteries, peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms, or infected sores that could seed sepsis, the overwhelming full-body infection. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

carotid artery

noun

: either of the two main arteries that supply blood to the head of which the left in humans arises from the arch of the aorta and the right by bifurcation of the brachiocephalic artery with each passing along the corresponding anterolateral aspect of the neck and dividing opposite the upper border of the thyroid cartilage into an external branch supplying the face, tongue, and external parts of the head and an internal branch supplying the brain, eye, and other internal parts of the head

called also carotid

see common carotid artery, external carotid artery, internal carotid artery