labyrinthine artery

7.8

A blood vessel that carries blood to the inner ear

noun
/ˌlæbəˈrɪnˌθin ˈɑːrtəri/

Specialized

: arteria laberíntica

A blockage in the labyrinthine artery may lead to sudden deafness or vertigo.

Examples

During the operation, the surgeon carefully avoided the labyrinthine artery to prevent inner ear complications.
Damage to the labyrinthine artery can result in hearing loss and problems with balance.
The labyrinthine artery is crucial for hearing.
Several labyrinthine arteries supply the inner ear.
A blockage in the labyrinthine artery may lead to sudden deafness or vertigo.
Damage to the labyrinthine artery can result in hearing loss and problems with balance.
During the operation, the surgeon carefully avoided the labyrinthine artery to prevent inner ear complications.

Synonyms

internal auditory artery

vslabyrinthine artery

Specialized

7.5

A small blood vessel that brings blood to the inner ear

is the same concept but uses a different technical name

artery of the labyrinth

vslabyrinthine artery

Specialized

7.9

A small blood vessel that carries blood to the inner ear

focuses on the whole inner ear rather than its individual structures

Surface Forms

labyrinthine artery singular

labyrinthine arteries plural

Morphology

labyrinthine + artery

The meaning is directly and transparently compositional: 'labyrinthine' (relating to the inner ear, the labyrinth) + 'artery' (a blood vessel) yields an artery associated with the inner ear. This follows standard adjectival modifier + noun anatomy naming patterns (and parallels in other languages), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Labyrinthine artery gets its name from labyrinthine, from the old word 'labyrinth' meaning 'maze', and artery meaning a blood vessel. It is the small blood vessel that goes into the 'inner ear' maze to supply blood, so if it is blocked you can lose hearing or balance.