meningeal artery
- noun
- /məˈnɪn.dʒi.əl ˈɑːr.tər.i/
- Specialized
- The doctor explained that a blow to the head can damage the meningeal artery and lead to serious complications.
Examples
-
An injury to the skull often involves the rupture of the meningeal artery, resulting in a medical emergency.
-
Tearing of the middle meningeal artery.
-
Surgeons must be careful during brain surgery to avoid damaging the meningeal artery that supplies blood to the protective layers of the brain.
Synonyms
A blood vessel inside the skull that carries blood to the coverings of the brain
An artery that carries blood to the protective layers around the brain
A small artery that brings blood to the protective membranes at the front of the skull
An artery that carries blood to the outer covering of the brain at the back of the skull
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'meningeal' (relating to the meninges) modifies 'artery' (a blood vessel), so the phrase denotes an artery associated with the meninges. This follows regular English medical noun formation (and similar patterns across languages), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Meningeal artery is made of meningeal, which refers to the 'meninges', the thin coverings of the brain, and artery, a blood vessel. Imagine a tube carrying blood to the brain's outer layers, so it means 'an artery that supplies the meninges'.