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vein - 8 dictionary results

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.
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.
–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.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME veine < OF < L vēna vein of the body, channel, ore deposit


veinal, adjective
veinless, adjective
veinlike, adjective


11. tone, streak, touch, hint, thread.
vein   (vān)   
n.  
    1. Anatomy Any of the membranous tubes that form a branching system and carry blood to the heart.
    2. A blood vessel.
    3. A transient attitude or mood.
    4. A particular turn of mind: spoke later in a more serious vein.
  1. Botany One of the vascular bundles or ribs that form the branching framework of conducting and supporting tissues in a leaf or other expanded plant organ. Also called nervure.
  2. Zoology One of the horny ribs that stiffen and support the wing of an insect. Also called nervure.
  3. Geology A regularly shaped and lengthy occurrence of an ore; a lode.
  4. A long wavy strip of a different shade or color, as in wood or marble, or as mold in cheese.
  5. A fissure, crack, or cleft.
  6. A pervading character or quality; a streak: "All through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive earnestness" (Mark Twain). See Synonyms at streak.
    1. A transient attitude or mood.
    2. A particular turn of mind: spoke later in a more serious vein.
tr.v.   veined, vein·ing, veins
  1. To supply or fill with veins.
  2. To mark or decorate with veins.

[Middle English veine, from Old French, from Latin vēna.]
vein'al adj.

Vein

Vein\, n. [OE. veine, F. veine, L. vena.]

1. (Anat.) One of the vessels which carry blood, either venous or arterial, to the heart. See Artery, 2.

2. (Bot.) One of the similar branches of the framework of a leaf.

3. (Zo["o]l.) One of the ribs or nervures of the wings of insects. See Venation.

4. (Geol. or Mining) A narrow mass of rock intersecting other rocks, and filling inclined or vertical fissures not corresponding with the stratification; a lode; a dike; -- often limited, in the language of miners, to a mineral vein or lode, that is, to a vein which contains useful minerals or ores.

5. A fissure, cleft, or cavity, as in the earth or other substance. "Down to the veins of earth." --Milton.

Let the glass of the prisms be free from veins. --Sir I. Newton.

6. A streak or wave of different color, appearing in wood, and in marble and other stones; variegation.

7. A train of association, thoughts, emotions, or the like; a current; a course.

He can open a vein of true and noble thinking. --Swift.

8. Peculiar temper or temperament; tendency or turn of mind; a particular disposition or cast of genius; humor; strain; quality; also, manner of speech or action; as, a rich vein of humor; a satirical vein. --Shak.

Certain discoursing wits which are of the same veins. --Bacon.

Invoke the Muses, and improve my vein. --Waller.

Vein

Vein\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Veined; p. pr. & vb. n. Veining.] To form or mark with veins; to fill or cover with veins. --Tennyson.
Language Translation for : vein
Spanish: vena,
German: die Vene,
Japanese: 静脈

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 Eng. from 1387. Fig. sense of "strain or intermixture" (of some quality) is recorded from 1567; that of "a humor or mood, natural tendency" is first recorded 1577.

Main Entry: vein
Pronunciation: 'vAn
Function: noun
: any of the tubular branching vessels that carry blood from the capillaries toward the heart and havethinner walls than the arteries and often valves at intervals to prevent reflux of the blood which flows in a steady stream and is in most cases dark-colored due to the presence of reduced hemoglobin

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.

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)
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