aortic arch

noun

: one of the arterial branches in vertebrate embryos that exist in a series of pairs with one on each side of the embryo, connect the ventral arterial system lying anterior to the heart to the dorsal arterial system above the digestive tract, and persist in adult fishes but are reduced or much modified in the adult of higher forms

: arch of the aorta

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Jack had a double aortic arch, a condition where an extra branch stemming from the heart constricts the airway like a vise. —

Amy Paturel, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2022 That in turn loops under the aortic arch, part of the large artery carrying blood from the heart, and then travels back up the neck to the vocal cords. —

Jeffrey M. Rodgers, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2022 But because Caleb had a rare defect known as an interrupted aortic arch, oxygenated blood flow to his body was being choked off as the duct began to seal itself. —

Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2020 The team suspects that the animal’s stretchy aortic arch, part of the main artery entering the heart, continues to slowly contract between heartbeats, maintaining blood flow to the animal’s body. —

Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 19 Nov. 2019 In 2012, a 76-year-old Connecticut doctor had surgery to repair a life-threatening bulge in his aortic arch—the hulking bend that hooks the massive artery around the heart, routing oxygenated blood both upward and downward. —

Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2018 The study is based off the case of a 76-year-old man who underwent surgery for his aortic arch, a part of the main artery around the heart. —

Josh Magness, miamiherald, 21 Mar. 2018 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of aortic arch was in 1802

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Aortic arch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aortic%20arch. Accessed 30 Jan. 2023.

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Medical Definition

aortic arch

noun

: one of the arterial branches in vertebrate embryos that exist in a series of pairs with one on each side of the embryo, that connect the ventral arterial system lying anterior to the heart to the dorsal arterial system above the digestive tract, and that persist in adult fishes but are reduced or much modified in the adult of higher forms

: arch of the aorta