Angiectasis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Excessive widening or enlargement of blood vessels, often resulting in weakened vessel walls and reduced circulatory efficiency
2. An abnormal expansion of the lumens of arteries, veins, or capillaries that compromises normal blood flow and vessel integrity
3. Pathological distension of blood vessels causing them to become abnormally enlarged and prone to rupture or thrombosis

Etymology: "Angiectasis" is a medical term for the dilation or widening of a blood vessel or lymphatic vessel. It is built from two Greek elements: "angeion," meaning vessel (the source of the "angio-" prefix seen in words like angiogram), and "ektasis," meaning stretching out or extension, from "ekteinein," to stretch out. The second element is the same one found in "ectasia," the general term for abnormal dilation of a hollow organ or structure. The word is a modern scientific coinage assembled from classical Greek parts, a pattern common in medical vocabulary, which means ancient Greek writers did not use it. Its value lies in its transparency: once you know the two pieces, the meaning is clear from the structure alone.

Synonyms: vasodilation