axillary vein
- noun
- /ˈæksɪˌlɛri veɪn/
- Specialized
- The axillary vein drains blood from the upper limb back toward the heart.
Examples
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An injury to the axillary vein can cause significant bleeding and complications.
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The surgeon carefully avoided the axillary vein during the procedure.
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The axillary vein is crucial for blood circulation.
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Surgeons often check the axillary vein during procedures.
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An injury to the axillary vein can cause significant bleeding and complications.
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The axillary vein drains blood from the upper limb back toward the heart.
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The surgeon carefully avoided the axillary vein during the procedure.
Synonyms
A large vein in the armpit that carries blood from the arm to the chest
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a vein in the armpit region' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'axillary' (pertaining to the armpit) + 'vein' (a blood vessel). This adjective+noun locational naming pattern is common in medical terminology and cross-linguistically transparent, so a learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.
Etymology
Axillary vein comes from the old word axilla, which means 'armpit', so the name shows where the vein is. The vein is a large blood vessel that runs through the armpit and carries blood back to the heart.