Aorta

(a-ort ah.) [From Gr. aeiro, to raise up. ] (Anat.) The great artery i uing from the left ventricle of the heart. All the other arteries proceed mediately or immediately from the A. It is distinguished into the descending and ascending A., according to the direction it takes. Aosta,(ah-os'tah,) a town of N. Italy, C. of a p. of same name, on the Dora, 49 m. N.N.W. of Turin. The rich valley ofAosta is celebrated for its mineral and vegetable products. Pop. 7,525. [s. 37]