Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

Veins

 [veyn]   Origin

vein

   [veyn]
noun
1.
one of the system of branching vessels or tubes conveying blood from various parts of the body to the heart.
2.
(loosely) any blood vessel.
3.
one of the riblike thickenings that form the framework of the wing of an insect.
4.
one of the strands or bundles of vascular tissue forming the principal framework of a leaf.
5.
any body or stratum of ore, coal, etc., clearly separated or defined: a rich vein of coal.
EXPAND
6.
a body or mass of igneous rock, deposited mineral, or the like occupying a crevice or fissure in rock; lode.
7.
a natural channel or watercourse beneath the surface of the earth.
8.
the water running through such a channel.
9.
a streak or marking, as of a different shade or color, running through marble, wood, etc.
10.
a condition, mood, or temper: a vein of pessimism.
11.
a tendency, quality, or strain traceable in character, conduct, writing, etc.; manner or style: to write in a poetic vein.
COLLAPSE
Remove Ugly Leg Veins www.nuvelaesthetica.com Spider Veins, Bulging Leg Veins! Visit us for a Free Consultation
Ad
verb (used with object)
12.
to furnish with veins.
13.
to mark with lines or streaks suggesting veins.
14.
to extend over or through in the manner of veins: Broad new highways vein the countryside.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Veins is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English veine < Old French < Latin vēna vein of the body, channel, ore deposit

Related forms
vein·al, adjective
vein·less, adjective
vein·like, adjective
in·ter·vein, verb (used with object)
in·ter·vein·al, adjective
EXPAND
sub·vein, noun
un·veined, adjective
COLLAPSE

Can be confused: 1. vain, vane, vein; 2. veinal, venal, venery, venial.

Synonyms
11. tone, streak, touch, hint, thread.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Veins
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

vein
c.1300, from O.Fr. veine, from L. vena "a blood vessel," also "a water course, a vein of metal, a person's natural ability or interest," of unknown origin. The mining sense is attested in English from late 14c. Figurative sense of "strain or intermixture" (of some quality) is recorded from 1560s; that
EXPAND
of "a humor or mood, natural tendency" is first recorded 1570s.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

vein (vān)
n.

  1. Any of the branching blood vessels carrying blood toward the heart. All veins except the pulmonary vein carry dark unaerated blood.

  2. A blood vessel.

v. veined, vein·ing, veins
To supply or fill with veins.
vein'al adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
vein   (vān)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Any of the blood vessels that carry blood toward the heart from the body's cells, tissues, and organs. Veins are thin-walled and contain valves that prevent the backflow of blood. All veins except the pulmonary vein carry blood with low levels of oxygen.

  2. One of the narrow, usually branching tubes or supporting parts forming the framework of an insect's wing or a leaf. Veins in insect wings carry hemolymph and contain a nerve. Veins in leaves contain vascular tissue, with the xylem usually occurring on the upper side of the vein (bringing in water and nutrients) and the phloem on the lower side (carrying away food). See more at leaf, venation.

  3. A long, narrow deposit of mineral or rock that fills the void formed by a fracture or fault in another rock. The mineralogy of the host rock surrounding the vein is often altered where it is in contact with the vein because of chemical reactions between the two rock types.


venous adjective (vē'nəs)
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

veins definition


Blood vessels that return blood from the body tissues to the heart. (Compare arteries; see circulatory system.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT