Artery

är′tėr-i, n. a tube or ve el which conveys blood from the heart (see Aorta )—also metaphorically: any main channel of communication.— adj. Artēr′ial — v.t. Artēr′ialise , to make arterial.— ns. Artēriot′omy , the cutting or opening of an artery, to let blood; Arterī′tis , inflammation of an artery. [L.—Gr. artēria , orig. the windpipe most probably—Gr. air-ein , to raise. The ancient conception of the artery as an air-duct gave rise to the derivation from Gr. aēr , air.]