venation

[ vee-ney-shuhn, vuh- ]
See synonyms for venation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the arrangement of veins, as in a leaf or in the wing of an insect.

  2. these veins collectively.

Origin of venation

1
1640–50; <Latin vēn(a) vein + -ation

Other words from venation

  • ve·na·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for venation

venation

/ (viːˈneɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the arrangement of the veins in a leaf or in the wing of an insect

  2. such veins collectively

Derived forms of venation

  • venational, adjective

Collins 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 venation

venation

[ vē-nāshən ]


  1. The distribution or arrangement of a system of veins, as in an insect's wing or a leaf blade. Patterns of venation in insect wings are often used to identify and differentiate species. In angiosperm plants, the venation of eudicot and magnoliid leaves is generally netted or reticulate, with smaller veins branching out from larger ones in a pinnate or palmate pattern, while that of monocots is parallel, with many veins of similar size running parallel to each other along the length of the plant part. These parallel veins are connected to each other by much smaller cross veins.

  2. The veins of such a system considered as a group.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.