artery

noun

ar·​tery ˈär-tə-rē 

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

Synonyms of artery

• highway
• thoroughfare
• road
• freeway
• street
• arterial
• route
• expressway
• carriageway
• roadway
• boulevard
• turnpike

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

Sunset and the other arteries became metal chokepoints; engines were rerouted or turned back. —Literary Hub, 13 May 2026

The bridge plunged into the river below, killing six construction workers and bringing the major shipping artery at the Port of Baltimore to a screeching halt. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 12 May 2026

And the organ sits close to central veins and arteries. —Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 12 May 2026

Although much smaller than the one in Broward, the South Miami-Dade fire affected traffic going in and out of the Keys on Sunday, with officials closing Card Sound Road, one of the two arteries accessing the island chain from Sunday evening into early Monday morning. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026

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

Phrases Containing artery

• brachiocephalic artery
• carotid artery
• cerebral artery
• coronary artery
• coronary artery bypass
• coronary artery bypass graft
• coronary artery bypass grafting
• coronary artery disease
• deep temporal artery
• femoral artery
• innominate artery
• middle temporal artery
• pulmonary artery
• subclavian artery
• superficial temporal artery
• temporal artery
• temporal artery thermometer

Kids Definition

artery

noun

ar·​tery ˈärt-ə-rē 

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 

plural arteries

: any of the tubular branching muscular- and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body