circumflex iliac artery
- noun
- /ˈsɜrkəmˌflɛks ˈɪliæk ˈɑrtəri/
- Specialized
- Injury to the circumflex iliac artery can result in significant bleeding in the pelvic region.
Examples
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- It's the superficial circumflex iliac artery.
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During the surgery, the circumflex iliac artery was carefully preserved to maintain proper blood flow.
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The circumflex iliac artery supplies oxygenated blood to parts of the abdominal wall and thigh.
Synonyms
A blood vessel that gives blood to the lower belly wall, skin, and front thigh muscle
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term is compositionally built from Latin-derived parts: 'circumflex' (curving or bending around), 'iliac' (of the ilium/pelvic region) and 'artery' (a blood vessel). A learner who knows these constituents can transparently infer it denotes an artery that curves around the iliac/pelvic area, and anatomical naming conventions are regular and predictable across languages.
Etymology
Circumflex iliac artery literally describes the vessel: circumflex means 'bent around', iliac refers to the 'hip bone', and artery is a 'blood vessel'. So it is the blood vessel that curves around the hip and supplies the lower belly and nearby muscles, which helps you remember its current meaning.