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venous sinus

venous sinus

7.7
A large channel in the body, often in the brain, that holds blood and has thin walls
  • noun
  • /ˈviːnəs ˈsaɪnəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : seno venoso
  • During the surgery, the surgeon carefully navigated around the venous sinuses to avoid complications.

Examples

  • An imaging test can reveal any abnormalities in the venous sinuses of the brain.

  • Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is generally not considered in these cases.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Care is also taken not to injure the endolymphatic sac, the venous sinuses, or the vessels within the cerebellopontine angle.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Normal enhancement of the cortical veins and venous sinuses was visualized on MRV.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The doctor explained that a blockage in the venous sinus could lead to increased pressure in the brain.

Synonyms

sinus
vsvenous sinus
  • Specialized
7 4.8

A wide channel in the body that holds blood instead of a normal vessel

is more specific, meaning a large blood channel usually in the brain

Surface Forms

venous sinus singular

Morphology

venous + sinus

The term is directly compositional: 'venous' means related to veins and 'sinus' denotes a vascular channel, so 'venous sinus' straightforwardly denotes a vein-related blood channel. Although it is a technical medical phrase, the meaning follows standard noun-modifier composition and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Venous sinus comes from the parts venous meaning 'relating to a vein' and sinus meaning 'bay' or 'fold'. It paints a simple image: a wide, bay-like channel that holds blood instead of a thin tube, so the name describes a large blood-filled space that helps 'drain' blood from the brain.