Etymology : Middle English veine, from Old French, from Latin vena
Pronunciation : 'vAn
Function : noun
Date : 14th century
1. blood vessel which carries blood to the heart; any blood vessel (Informal); bundle of sap-carrying vessels in plants; band of ore between rock layers; pervading quality, mood; vessels in insect wings. Next >>.
2. One of the vessels which carry blood, either venous or arterial, to the heart.
3. See Artery, 2.
4. One of the similar branches of the framework of a leaf.
5. One of the ribs or nervures of the wings of insects.
6. See Venation.
7. 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.
8. A fissure, cleft, or cavity, as in the earth or other substance.
9. A streak or wave of different color, appearing in wood, and in marble and other stones; variegation.
10. A train of association, thoughts, emotions, or the like; a current; a course.
11. 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.
12. To form or mark with veins; to fill or cover with veins. one of the horny ribs that stiffen and support the wing of an insect a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart; all veins except the pulmonary carry unaerated blood a distinctive style or manner; "he continued in this vein for several minutes" a layer of ore between layers of rock any of the vascular bundles or ribs that form the branching framework of conducting and supporting tissues in a leaf or other plant organ make a veinlike pattern.
13. 1. Your veins are the thin tubes in your body through which your blood flows towards your heart. Compare artery. Many veins are found just under the skin. see also:
varicose vein.
14. Something that is written or spoken in a particular vein is written or spoken in that style or mood. It is one of his finest works in a lighter vein.
15. A vein of a particular quality is evidence of that quality which someone often shows in their behaviour or work. This Spanish drama has a vein of black humour running through it.
16. A vein of a particular metal or mineral is a layer of it lying in rock. a rich and deep vein of limestone. = seam.
17. The veins on a leaf are the thin lines on it. the serrated edges and veins of the feathery leaves. Vessel that carries blood to the heart. Except for the pulmonary veins, veins bear deoxygenated blood from capillaries, which converge into threadlike venules and then veins, finally emptying into the venae cavae (see:
cardiovascular system; vena cava). Blood moves through veins by contraction of the surrounding muscles. Backflow is prevented by valves in most veins' inner layer (tunica intima), which lacks the elastic membrane lining of arteries. The thin middle layer (tunica media) is mostly collagen fibres, and the thick outer layer (tunica adventitia) is mostly connective tissue. See also circulation; varicose vein.