Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The main trunk of the systemic arteries, carrying blood from the left side of the heart to the arteries of all limbs and organs except the lungs.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In anatomy, the main trunk of the arterial system, issuing from the left ventricle of the heart, conveying arterialized blood to all parts of the body except the lungs, and giving rise, directly or indirectly, to all the arteries of the body except the pulmonary. The name is chiefly given to such an artery in those higher vertebrates which have a completely four-chambered heart. The aorta commonly gives off immediately the great vessels of the head, neck, and anterior limbs, and ends by forking to supply the posterior limbs. In the embryo it communicates with the pulmonary artery by a duct (ductus arteriosus), which is normally closed at birth. In man the aorta is divided into ascending, transverse, and descending portions. The ascending aorta rises and then curves over to the left, forming the transverse portion or arch of the aorta, whence spring the innominate and left carotid and left subclavian arteries; it then descends upon and a little to the left of the bodies of the vertebræ, forming the descending aorta, divided into the thoracic aorta below it; it ends usually opposite the fourth lumbar vertebra by bifurcating into the right and left common iliac arteries. The thoracic branches are numerous, but small and chiefly intercostal; the abdominal branches are the cœliac, superior and inferior mesenteric, renal, suprarenal, spermatic, and others. The aorta is provided at its beginning with three semilunar valves, which prevent regurgitation of blood into the heart. See
aortic , and cuts under circulation, embryo, heart, thorax. - n. In the higher invertebrates, the large blood-vessel leading from the heart, usually anteriorly and posteriorly.
Wiktionary
- n. anatomy The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.
- n. figuratively The liveliest part of something.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Anat.) The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the large trunk artery that carries blood from the left ventricle of the heart to branch arteries
Etymologies
- From Ancient Greek ἀορτή (aortē, "the arteries springing from the heart"), from ἀορτέω (aorteō), lengthened form of ἀείρω (aeirō, "I lift, raise") (Wiktionary)
- New Latin, from Greek āortē, from āeirein, to lift. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The fact that the horn barely missed the aorta is an UNBELIEVABLE piece of luck is what I meant to say.”
“Surgeons reconstruct the heart so that the aorta is attached to the left ventricle and the pulmonary artery is attached to the right ventricle.”
“The aorta is the main artery that carries blood with oxygen out of the heart to the body.”
“In a child with coarctation of the aorta, the aorta is too narrow at the portion just after the upper-body arteries branch off - this obstructs blood flow.”
“The more the aorta is narrowed, the more severe the symptoms will be.”
“Here, a team diagnosed Sarah with moderate to severe aortic stenosis, which means that the heart valve that opens to allow blood to flow into the aorta is malformed and doesn't function correctly.”
“The aorta is the main artery that carries oxygenated blood out of the heart to the body.”
“Babies with tricuspid atresia and transposition of great arteries may require the “Norwood operation” if the aorta is too small (see hypoplastic left heart syndrome).”
“The aorta is attached to the right-sided pumping chamber (ventricle), instead of the left.”
“The aortic valve, which separates the left ventricle and the aorta, is too small or completely closed (atretic).”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘aorta’.
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The Heart's Parts
blood, atrium, aorta, ventricle, papillary muscles, valve, artery, vena cava, septum, circumflex, coronary, endocardium and 11 more...
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Useful 1
Encountered, not used frequently but useful.
nascent, hegemonic, iteratively, connotes, paradox, Terse, Monolithic, impecunious, axiomatically, invoke, Pervade, Eschew and 1 more...
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gcherches's Words
serendipity, roadrunner, inner child, coagulant, esquire, vicissitude, idiot savant, mitigation, affirmation, affirmative, diatribe, affirmative action and 185 more...
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Man likes these words
danube, schadenfreude, macabre, wanderlust, epiphany, azure, zeitgeist, cerulean, ennui, rhine, abyss, mulch and 130 more...
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1906 Railway Cipher Code
Terms from the Standard Cipher Code of the American Railway Association, 1906. The terms were shorthand for common phrases used in telegraphic communications between station agents and Railway Asso...
abetting, abdominal, abiology, ablative, abnormal, abominate, aboveboard, abrasive, absinth, abstinent, accursed, acetate and 212 more...
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kingrat47's Words
procrustean, devolution, cacophony, hippopotamus, crunch, beware, chortled, sibilant, subtle, undermine, acromegaly, acropolis and 645 more...
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adrift's Words
alluvial, motley, amygdala, skein, echo, lucent, evening, clasp, weft, ruinous, waver, eave and 122 more...
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merfee's Words
supple, dichotomy, relish, rhapsody, pneumonoultramicr..., embrace, ishmael, ebullient, recalcitrant, elegy, char, lugubrious and 522 more...
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Permutations
There are 17576 different sequences of three letters (26 x 26 x 26). How many of them occur in words? General rules of engagement: mononyms only, lower case preferred to upper case, short preferred...
aaargh, niqaabi, Isaac, raad, baaed, haaf, laager, aah, kamaaina, Naajaat, aak, aalii and 637 more...
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gorgonglare's list
the best
zeppelin, ion, laconic, serendipity, cataract, saturnine, syzygy, cinnabar, bistro, lithium, paroxysm, scion and 694 more...
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suspendous words
aorta, arteriole, arsis, artery, meteor, aerial, air, aria, malaria, aura, splendor, galore and 40 more...
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on the body
palm, wrist, sternum, breast, digit, toes, philtrum, pinky, lips, tongue, palate, skin and 80 more...
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blevenback's Words
tippecanoe, cogent, precarious, oxymoron, errata, negate, azimuthal, muppet, declination, obfuscate, defenestration, apocryphal and 25 more...
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Medical Mayhem
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Cassidy's Words
malleable, serendipity, plethora, triage, aorta, encyclopedia, curmudgeon, coincidence, pontificate
Tweets
Looking for tweets for aorta.
bilby Well, aorta make an application den. Jan 19, 2013
hernesheir US Railway Association, Standard Cipher Code, 1906: railroad telegraph shorthand for "Has not made application". Jan 19, 2013