Arteria

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tubular structure that carries blood or other fluids away from the heart to various parts of the body
2. A major component of the circulatory system responsible for transporting oxygenated substances
3. Any similar vessel or channel in other biological systems that facilitates movement of liquids or gases

Etymology: The most surprising thing about this word is that the ancient Greeks thought arteries carried air, not blood. The Greek "artēria" was used for the windpipe, and the name was only later extended to the blood vessels, which Greek physicians took to be channels for breath and spirit. The Latin "artēria" inherited that same double sense, meaning both windpipe and artery. English took the word directly from Latin, as a learned borrowing, so it arrived as a scholarly term rather than through everyday speech. It exists alongside "artery," which is a doublet: the same Latin source reached English twice, once by direct learned borrowing and once by a more worn-down route through French. The two forms have simply settled into different uses, with this one favored in technical and medical contexts.

Synonyms: artery, blood vessel, vein