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

• arterial
• avenue
• boulevard
• carriageway [British]
• drag
• drive
• expressway
• freeway
• high road
• highway
• pass
• pike
• road
• roadway
• route
• row
• street
• thoroughfare
• thruway
• trace
• turnpike
• way

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

As if this is not complicated enough, your chronological age may be quite different from the age of your arteries. —Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 15 Aug. 2024

An ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke and occurs when the blood flow in a vein or artery in the brain is blocked or reduced, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. —Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2024

The research suggested both sugar alcohols might make blood platelets stickier and therefore more susceptible to clotting and blocking veins or arteries, in turn contributing to heart attacks and strokes. —Caroline Hopkins, NBC News, 8 Aug. 2024

The arteries are transposed from their normal positions in that the aorta begins at the right ventricle instead of the left and the pulmonary artery begins at the left ventricle instead of the right. —Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 8 Aug. 2024

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