artery

noun

ar·​tery ˈär-tə-rē How to pronounce artery (audio)
ˈär-trē
plural arteries
Synonyms of arterynext
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

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Chief among them is the war in Iran, which analysts view as a stalemate that has choked major maritime arteries for oil and gas. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026 For astronauts, researchers hypothesize that increased radiation exposure during spaceflight speeds up atherosclerosis, the narrowing of arteries implicated in heart attacks and strokes. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026 In these clips, Shakur celebrates in the backstage arteries of the MGM’s Grand Garden arena directly after Tyson’s victory over Bruce Seldon. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026 The original plan was to detach the pulmonary arteries from the common artery and properly connect the arteries and close the defect. — Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for artery

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

Phrases Containing artery

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arteritis
artery
artesian
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Cite this Entry

“Artery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artery. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on artery

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about artery

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