capillary
pertaining to or occurring in or as if in a tube of fine bore.
resembling a strand of hair; hairlike.
Physics.
pertaining to capillarity.
of or relating to the apparent attraction or repulsion between a liquid and a solid, observed in capillarity.
Anatomy. pertaining to a capillary or capillaries.
Anatomy. one of the minute blood vessels between the terminations of the arteries and the beginnings of the veins.
Also called capillary tube . a tube with a small bore.
Origin of capillary
1Other words from capillary
- in·ter·cap·il·lar·y, adjective
- non·cap·il·lar·y, adjective, noun, plural non·cap·il·lar·ies.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for capillary
/ (kəˈpɪlərɪ) /
resembling a hair; slender
(of tubes) having a fine bore
anatomy of or relating to any of the delicate thin-walled blood vessels that form an interconnecting network between the arterioles and the venules
physics of or relating to capillarity
anatomy any of the capillary blood vessels
a fine hole or narrow passage in any substance
Origin of capillary
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 capillary
[ kăp′ə-lĕr′ē ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for capillary
[ (kap-uh-ler-ee) ]
A thin tube, such as a blood vessel or a straw, through which fluids flow.
Notes for capillary
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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