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 With this disease, narrow arteries prevent the legs and arms from receiving enough blood flow, causing chronic pain, wounds that don’t heal, and even gangrene. Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 22 Mar. 2024 Hypertension can cause arteries that supply blood to your brain to be blocked or to burst, leading to a stroke. Katia Hetter, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 Vasoconstriction causes narrowed arteries that decrease blood flow. Dr. Roshini Raj, Health, 19 Mar. 2024 Fabio had been viciously stabbed seven times, three separate wounds each deemed fatal as vital arteries were targeted. Greg Fisher, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 All sit along the city’s main east-west artery, Northeast 163rd Street-167th Street, with Le Genie at 176-178 NE 167th St. Le Genie staff claimed management wasn’t in Wednesday afternoon when a Herald reporter visited. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 The medical team subsequently discovered an 80 percent artery blockage — this time caused by cholesterol — and inserted another stent in her heart to open the blockage after she was rushed to the cardiac catheterization lab. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Another benefit for Madison’s project is being close to transportation arteries like Interstate 77 and Billy Graham Parkway, officials said in a news release. Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 2024 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

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 29 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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