ileal artery

8.5

A blood vessel that carries blood to the lower part of the small intestine

noun
/ˈɪliəl ˈɑːrtəri/

Specialized

: arteria ileal

The ileal artery branches off the superior mesenteric artery to deliver oxygenated blood to the lower part of the small intestine.

Examples

During surgery, care must be taken not to damage the ileal artery when operating near the small intestine.
A blockage in the ileal artery can reduce blood supply to the ileum, causing digestive problems.
The ileal artery is crucial for supplying blood to the ileum.
Surgeons must be careful when operating near the ileal artery.
A blockage in the ileal artery can reduce blood supply to the ileum, causing digestive problems.
During surgery, care must be taken not to damage the ileal artery when operating near the small intestine.
The ileal artery branches off the superior mesenteric artery to deliver oxygenated blood to the lower part of the small intestine.

Synonyms

intestinal artery

vsileal artery

Specialized

4.6

A blood vessel that carries blood to parts of the small intestine

is limited to supplying blood to the ileum rather than other small intestine parts

Surface Forms

ileal artery singular

ileal arteries plural

Morphology

ileal + artery

The compound is directly built from 'ileal' (connected to the ileum) and 'artery' (a blood vessel), so a learner who knows those constituents will understand it as an artery supplying or connected to the ileum. This follows a regular anatomical noun–noun composition found across languages and contains no idiomatic or metaphorical shift.

Etymology

Ileal artery names a blood vessel: artery is a tube that carries blood and ileal means it goes to the 'ileum', the last part of the 'small intestine'. So it literally describes a branch of the main blood 'road' that brings oxygen to the ileum, which is why it means a vessel that 'supplies blood' to that part.