perineal artery
- noun
- /ˌpɛrəˈniːəl ˈɑːrtəri/
- Specialized
- During surgery, the perineal artery must be carefully identified to prevent excessive bleeding.
Examples
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The perineal artery supplies blood to the skin and muscles of the perineum.
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Look, if you move too much, l could nick the perineal artery and you...
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Damage to the perineal artery can compromise circulation in the lower pelvic region.
Synonyms
A blood vessel that carries blood to the skin and muscles between the genitals and anus
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'perineal' means pertaining to the perineum and 'artery' is a blood vessel, so 'perineal artery' straightforwardly denotes an artery serving the perineum. Although the term is technical, the adjectival + noun structure is transparent and predictable for a learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The noun perineal artery comes from the word perineum, which is the area between the genitals and the anus, and artery, which means a blood vessel. So the term simply names 'the blood vessel that supplies the perineum'.