artery

noun

ar·​tery ˈär-tə-rē How to pronounce artery (audio)
ˈär-trē
plural arteries
1
: any of the tubular branching muscular- and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body
2
: a channel (such as a river or highway) of transportation or communication
especially : the main channel in a branching system

Examples of artery in a Sentence

He favors local side roads over major arteries. there's an accident on the main artery into town, so I'll be late
Recent Examples on the Web At the same time, the railways have become the vital arteries of Ukraine since Russia’s attacks have halted passenger air travel and severely limited shipping through the Black Sea. Svitlana Vlasova, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 If sandy Caribbean beaches are the face of the Dominican Republic, its streams, rivers and cenotes are its veins, arteries and heart. Mya Guarnieri, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 The movement may be most closely associated with the sport and Beck’s position, in particular — the overhead throwing motion — is what Lee told him was the likely cause, the pec muscles contracting on the artery and then potentially sending particles of a blood clot down the arm. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 Another new study found the tiny contaminants in all 17 human arteries examined. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 Venice has also banned new souvenir shops on the city’s main arteries, and new hotels now require an official vote in city hall. Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024 Riker’s doctors said an aneurysm inside his arteries and veins caused the excruciating pain and surgeons had to drill a hole into his skull to drain blood and fluid in order to relieve pressure. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 In 1988, Biden had surgery to repair two brain aneurysms, which are weak bulges in arteries, and one of them leaking, but subsequent examinations have never revealed evidence of recurrences. Darlene Superville, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 In recent years, doctors have been using imaging tests to monitor calcium buildup in the arteries of their patients to try to determine their risk of heart attack or stroke over time. William Cornwell, The Conversation, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'artery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arterie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French arteire, arterie, borrowed from Latin artēria "trachea, bronchial tubes (in plural artēriae), artery," borrowed from Greek artēría, from ar- (contracted from *awer-), base of aeírein "to join, attach, harness" (of uncertain origin) + -tēr, agentive suffix + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at aorta

Note: Compare, without the second suffix, Greek artḗr "something by which a burden is carried" (Septuagint). The semantic relation between the verb aeírein and the sense "trachea" parallels that between the verb and the derivative aortḗ "aorta, bronchial tubes" (see aorta). The extension of the meaning from "trachea" to "artery" is presumably because the arteries were believed to carry air to the extremities of the body as well as blood.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of artery was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near artery

Cite this Entry

“Artery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artery. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

artery

noun
ar·​tery ˈärt-ə-rē How to pronounce artery (audio)
plural arteries
1
: one of the tube-shaped branching muscular-walled and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart to all parts of the body
2
: a channel (as a river or highway) of transportation or communication
especially : the main channel in a branching system

Medical Definition

artery

noun
ar·​tery ˈärt-ə-rē How to pronounce artery (audio)
plural arteries
: any of the tubular branching muscular- and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body

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