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rete mirabile

noun rete mi·rab·i·le \ -mə̇ˈrabəˌlē \

Definition of rete mirabile

plural retia mirabilia \-ˌmirəˈbilēə\
: a small but dense network of blood vessels formed by the breaking up of a larger vessel into branches that usually reunite into one trunk and believed especially important as an oxygen-storing mechanism in aquatic mammals

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Origin and Etymology of rete mirabile

New Latin, from Latin, wonderful net

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