aorta

noun aor·ta \ ā-ˈȯr-tə \

Updated on: 26 May 2018

Definition of aorta

plural aortas or aortae play \-tē\

: the great arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be distributed by branch arteries through the body — see heart illustration

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aortic

play \-ˈȯr-tik\ adjective

See aorta defined for English-language learners

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Recent Examples of aorta from the Web

In 2016, Sandra Rivera of Jackson, Mo., had a series of small strokes during an operation to repair her aorta.

— New York Times, "As an Insurer Resists Paying for ‘Avoidable’ E.R. Visits, Patients and Doctors Push Back," 19 May 2018
Two bullets perforated his lungs, with one of those two bullets hitting his heart and aorta, and another bullet striking his spine.

— Fox News, "Independent autopsy of Stephon Clark was 'erroneous,' coroner says," 2 May 2018
With his chest open, the surgeons found that a bone fragment from his sternum had broken off and pierced his aorta.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Virus fished from pond cures man’s deadly antibiotic-resistant infection," 20 Mar. 2018
Doctors were unable to repair a tear in her aorta, according to her husband, Steve Jones-D’Agostino.

— j.m. lawrence, BostonGlobe.com, "Lana Jones, at 62; WBZ reporter ‘stood tall on the landscape of Boston news reporting’," 2 May 2018
The new set of organs were attached to Crouch’s aorta in his stomach, giving him bloody supply from the heart.

— Fox News, "7-year-old boy recovering after 5-organ transplant surgery," 25 Apr. 2018
With the doctor’s aorta seemingly disintegrating, Narayan and Turner’s teams injected a high dose of purified OMKO1 in combination with the antibiotic ceftazidime directly into the fistula in his chest.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Virus fished from pond cures man’s deadly antibiotic-resistant infection," 20 Mar. 2018
And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery.

— CNN, "Here is the speech Martin Luther King Jr. gave the night before he died," 4 Apr. 2018
The sheaths, about the diameter of a pencil or a Sharpie (depending on the size of the stent needed), are threaded through the femoral arteries in the groins and into the abdominal aorta.

— trihealth dailyhealthwire, Cincinnati.com, "Gut Check: TriHealth vascular surgeons lead the way with minimally invasive abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery," 19 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aorta.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aorta

New Latin, from Greek aortē, from aeirein to lift

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1543

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

AORTA Defined for English Language Learners

aorta

noun

Definition of aorta for English Language Learners

: the large artery that brings blood from the heart to the rest of the body

AORTA Defined for Kids

aorta

noun aor·ta \ ā-ˈȯr-tə \

Definition of aorta for Students

: the main artery that carries blood from the heart for distribution to all parts of the body

Medical Dictionary

aorta

noun aor·ta \ ā-ˈȯrt-ə \

medical Definition of aorta

plural aortas or aortae play \-ē\

: the large arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be distributed by branch arteries through the body

Illustration of aorta

Learn More about aorta

Spanish Central: Translation of aorta Nglish: Translation of aorta for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of aorta for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about aorta

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aorta

Definition of aorta

aortic

Recent Examples of aorta from the Web

Origin and Etymology of aorta

Other Anatomy Terms

AORTA Defined for English Language Learners

aorta

Definition of aorta for English Language Learners

AORTA Defined for Kids

aorta

Definition of aorta for Students

Medical Dictionary

aorta

medical Definition of aorta

Illustration of aorta

Learn More about aorta

Seen and Heard

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