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.
|
| 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. |
capillary cap·il·lary (kāp'ə-lěr'ē)
adj.
Of or relating to the capillaries.
Relating to or resembling a hair; fine and slender.
| capillary (kāp'ə-lěr'ē) Pronunciation Key
Any of the tiny blood vessels that connect the smallest arteries (arterioles) to the smallest veins (venules). Capillaries form a network throughout the body for the exchange of oxygen, metabolic waste products, and carbon dioxide between blood and tissue cells. |