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subclavian artery

subclavian artery

3 6.5
A large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the arm, shoulder and neck
  • noun
  • /sʌbˈkleɪviən ˈɑːrteri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arteria subclavia
  • The doctor explained that the subclavian artery supplies blood to the arms and shoulders.
  • the right subclavian artery
  • the left subclavian artery

Examples

  • Then it loops posteriorly around either the aortic arch on the left or the subclavian artery on the right.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The other bullet hit the subclavian artery.

  • Checking for hemorrhage... from the subclavian artery.

  • Pseudoaneurysms can occur in either the carotid or subclavian arteries, depending on the injection site.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Then it loops posteriorly around either the aortic arch on the left or the subclavian artery on the right.

    Academic text (2008)
  • A right-sided fistula, which is rare, would follow a similar course, but pass underneath the right subclavian artery before ascending in the neck.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The surgeon successfully repaired a tear in the subclavian artery during the operation.

  • During the examination, they noted a blockage in the left subclavian artery that required immediate attention.

Synonyms

arteria subclavia
vssubclavian artery
  • Specialized
7.5

A large blood vessel on each side that carries blood to the arm and neck

includes the shoulders as well as neck and arms

Surface Forms

Morphology

subclavian + artery

The meaning is directly compositional: 'subclavian' denotes 'below the clavicle' and 'artery' is a blood vessel, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer this is the artery under the clavicle supplying the neck/arm. Although anatomical and somewhat technical, the sense follows regular morphological/location logic and is cross-linguistically transparent.

Etymology

The noun subclavian artery is a literal name: sub means 'under' and clavian comes from the word for the 'collarbone', so this artery runs just under the collarbone. That's why the name refers to the blood vessel that carries blood to the neck, shoulder and arm.