alveolar artery
- noun
- /ælˈviːələr ˈɑːrteri/
- Specialized
- The alveolar artery supplies blood to the teeth and gums in the upper jaw.
Examples
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Injury to the alveolar artery during dental surgery can lead to significant bleeding.
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Two alveolar arteries branch from the maxillary artery.
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An X-ray showed that the alveolar artery was intact following the procedure.
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The alveolar artery supplies blood to the jaw.
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An X-ray showed that the alveolar artery was intact following the procedure.
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Injury to the alveolar artery during dental surgery can lead to significant bleeding.
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The alveolar artery supplies blood to the teeth and gums in the upper jaw.
Synonyms
A small blood vessel that brings blood to the jawbone near the teeth
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'alveolar' (pertaining to the tooth/jaw region) + 'artery' (a blood vessel) yields an artery located in the alveolar/jaw area. Although technical, the meaning follows regular noun–modifier composition (and similar terms exist in many languages), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE.
Etymology
Alveolar artery comes from alveolar, from the word 'alveolus' meaning 'small hollow' or 'tooth socket', and artery meaning 'blood vessel'. So the alveolar artery is the artery that runs to the tooth sockets and brings blood to the teeth and gums, which is why the name tells its job.