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portal system

portal system

7.2
A network of veins that carries blood from the stomach and intestines to the liver
  • noun
  • /ˈpɔrtəl ˈsɪstəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sistema portal
  • The portal system plays a crucial role in detoxifying blood from the digestive tract.

Examples

  • Cirrhosis can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the portal system.

  • The portal system transports blood to the liver.

  • Diseases affecting the portal system can seriously impair liver function.

  • Can the portal system function properly without the spleen?

  • The portal system plays a crucial role in detoxifying blood from the digestive tract.

  • Cirrhosis can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the portal system.

  • Diseases affecting the portal system can seriously impair liver function.

Surface Forms

portal system singular
portal systems plural

Morphology

portal + system

The meaning is directly compositional: 'portal' (an entry hub) modifying 'system' (a collection of interacting components) yields a system that functions as a portal or centralized access point. Although somewhat technical, this noun+noun composition follows regular, cross-linguistically common patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Portal system comes from the idea of portal as a 'gate' or 'door'. Imagine blood from the stomach and intestines passing through that gate straight to the liver to be cleaned, so it means the network of veins that brings blood to the liver.