cephalic vein
- noun
- /səˈfælɪk veɪn/
- Specialized
:
vena cefálica
- The nurse inserted the IV line into the patient's cephalic vein for blood collection.
Examples
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Many medical professionals examine the cephalic vein during procedures.
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The cephalic vein is often used for intravenous access.
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Anatomy students traced the path of the cephalic vein from the forearm to the shoulder.
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During surgery, the cephalic vein is often visible beneath the skin of the upper arm.
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The nurse easily located the cephalic vein for the blood draw on his arm.
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During the surgery, the doctor carefully monitored the cephalic vein to prevent excessive bleeding.
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In her anatomy class, she learned that the cephalic vein is important for IV access in patients.
Synonyms
A large vein on the outer side of the arm that carries blood toward the shoulder
Surface Forms
Morphology
While 'vein' is transparent, 'cephalic' literally means 'related to the head' (from Greek) and therefore a learner who knows the constituents would likely infer a vein of the head. In reality the cephalic vein is a specific anatomical name for a superficial vein of the upper arm, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from the parts and is a technical, non-compositional term.
Etymology
Cephalic vein uses cephalic from a Greek word meaning 'head' and vein for a blood vessel. Early doctors named it this because the long, surface vein runs up the outer arm toward the shoulder and head, so the name helps show where it is.
