adjective, noun, plural -lar⋅ies.| 1. | pertaining to or occurring in or as if in a tube of fine bore. |
| 2. | resembling a strand of hair; hairlike. |
| 3. | Physics.
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| 4. | Anatomy. pertaining to a capillary or capillaries. |
| 5. | Anatomy. one of the minute blood vessels between the terminations of the arteries and the beginnings of the veins. |
| 6. | Also called capillary tube. a tube with a small bore. |
A thin tube, such as a blood vessel or a straw, through which fluids flow.
Note: The interaction between the fluid and the vessel walls produces a force that can lift the fluid up into the tube, a phenomenon known as capillary action.
The tiny blood vessels throughout the body that connect arteries and veins. Capillaries form an intricate network around body tissues in order to distribute oxygen and nutrients to the cells and remove waste substances. (See circulatory system.)
capillary cap·il·lary (kāp'ə-lěr'ē)
adj.
Of or relating to the capillaries.
Relating to or resembling a hair; fine and slender.