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Glite Dictionary
epigastric artery

epigastric artery

6.5
A blood vessel that carries blood to the front of the belly
  • noun
  • /ˌɛpɪˈɡæstrɪk ˈɑːrtəri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arteria epigástrica
  • The inferior epigastric artery is often used as a landmark in hernia repair surgeries.

Examples

  • A rupture of the epigastric artery can cause internal bleeding in the abdominal wall.

  • The epigastric artery supplies blood to the upper abdomen.

  • The surgeon carefully avoided damaging the epigastric artery during the abdominal procedure.

  • Surgeons often examine the epigastric artery during abdominal procedures.

  • During the surgery, the doctor ensured that the epigastric artery remained intact to prevent complications.

  • The epigastric artery provides essential blood supply to the muscles in the abdominal wall.

  • An examination showed no signs of damage to the epigastric artery after the trauma assessment.

Synonyms

arteria epigastrica
vsepigastric artery
  • Specialized
9.9

A blood vessel that brings blood to the front of the belly

is the same in meaning but uses Latin medical terminology

Surface Forms

epigastric artery singular
epigastric arteries plural

Morphology

epigastric + artery

The phrase is fully compositional: 'epigastric' means pertaining to the upper abdomen and 'artery' is a blood vessel, so together they denote an artery located in or supplying the upper abdomen (as the definition states). This adjective + noun anatomical construction is predictable and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name epigastric artery breaks into epi- ('above'), gastric ('stomach'), and artery (a blood vessel). So picture a blood vessel 'above the stomach' that sends blood to the front of the belly, and that's why the name refers to the arteries that supply the abdominal wall.