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Glite Dictionary
colic vein

colic vein

7.0
A small blood vessel that carries blood from the large intestine to larger veins in the abdomen
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒlɪk veɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vena cólica
  • The middle colic vein is one of several veins that drain sections of the colon.

Examples

  • Surgeons must carefully identify the colic vein during procedures involving the large intestine.

  • The colic vein plays a crucial role in transporting blood away from the colon to the portal vein.

  • The colic vein plays a crucial role in digestion.

  • Surgeons often check the colic veins during abdominal surgery.

  • During the surgery, the team paid close attention to the colic vein to avoid complications.

  • The colic vein helps return blood from the large intestine to the superior mesenteric vein.

  • Identifying the colic vein is essential for understanding gastrointestinal blood flow.

Synonyms

vena colica
vscolic vein
  • Specialized
9.7

A vein that carries blood away from the large intestine

refers to several vessels that empty into larger abdominal veins such as the superior mesenteric

Surface Forms

colic vein singular
colic veins plural

Morphology

colic + vein

The noun phrase is compositional: 'colic' (relating to the colon or abdominal region) modifies 'vein' (a blood vessel), so the meaning 'a vein associated with the colon / draining the large intestine' follows directly from the parts. Anatomical adjective+noun patterns are cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Colic vein is a simple name: colic refers to the colon, the 'large intestine', and vein is a blood vessel that carries blood away. Imagine a small tube that 'drains' blood from the colon into larger veins, so the term means 'a vein that drains blood from the large intestine'.