Microvessel

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A minute blood vessel or lymphatic channel that is too small to see without magnification
2. A capillary or other extremely fine vessel that carries blood or lymphatic fluid through body tissues
3. An extremely small tube-like structure that transports blood or lymph throughout the body

Etymology: A microvessel is a very small blood vessel, too fine to see without magnification. The "micro-" part comes from the Ancient Greek "mīkrós," meaning "small," which entered English as a combining form in its own right, so the word is a plain compound of that prefix with "vessel." The vessel half has a longer journey: it descends from the Latin "vāsculum," a diminutive of "vās," meaning "vessel" or "container," which was refined through Late Latin "vāscellum" and Old French "vaisselle" before arriving in Middle English as "vessel." The result is a word whose two halves come from different corners of the classical world. The Greek prefix supplies the sense of smallness, while the Latin root carries the older idea of a container, so the English compound describes a small channel that holds and carries fluid.

Synonyms: capillary, microcirculation