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Glite Dictionary
popliteal vein

popliteal vein

1 6.7
A large vein behind the knee that carries blood from the lower leg to the thigh
  • noun
  • /ˌpɑːplɪˈtiːəl veɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vena poplítea
  • After the injury, she felt pain behind her knee where the popliteal vein is located.

Examples

  • During the anatomy lesson, we learned that the popliteal vein is vital for returning blood from the lower leg.

  • I know the popliteal vein in your leg carries enough blood that no matter what kind of bandaging you have, you will still be sitting in a puddle of plasma.

    The Wall (2017)

  • The surgeon carefully examined the popliteal vein to ensure there were no clots obstructing blood flow.

Synonyms

vena poplitea
vspopliteal vein
  • Specialized
8.6

A large vein behind the knee that carries blood from the lower leg

has identical meaning but uses the more common modern term

Surface Forms

popliteal vein singular
popliteal veins plural

Morphology

popliteal + vein

The meaning 'a vein located behind the knee' is directly derivable from combining 'popliteal' (pertaining to the region behind the knee) with 'vein' (a blood vessel). Although 'popliteal' is a technical, Latin-derived term, the adjective+noun anatomical composition is transparent and cross-linguistically consistent, so a learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun popliteal vein comes from a Latin word for the back of the knee. Popliteal means 'behind the knee' and vein is a blood vessel, so the name refers to the vein that 'carries blood from the lower leg toward the heart'.