vena cava
either of two large veins discharging blood into the right atrium of the heart, one (superior vena cava, or precava ) conveying blood from the head, chest, and upper extremities and the other (inferior vena cava or postcava ) conveying blood from all parts below the diaphragm.
Origin of vena cava
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use vena cava in a sentence
Ligature of the inferior vena cava above the diaphragm also leads to a large increase in the flow of duct lymph.
In the Edentates the remains of the venous valves at the opening of the inferior vena cava are better marked than in other orders.
The orifice of the inferior vena cava (fig. 2, b) at the lower and back part.
The two largest veins in the body, the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava, open into the right auricle.
A Practical Physiology | Albert F. Blaisdell
British Dictionary definitions for vena cava
/ (ˈkeɪvə) /
either one of the two large veins that convey oxygen-depleted blood to the heart
Origin of vena cava
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for vena cava
[ vē′nə kā′və ]
Either of two large veins that carry blood with low levels of oxygen to the right atrium of the heart.♦ The superior vena cava receives blood from the brain and upper limbs or forelimbs.♦ The inferior vena cava drains blood from the trunk and lower limbs or hindlimbs and is the largest vein in the body.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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