vein

n. [ OE. veine, F. veine, L. vena. ] 1. (Anat.) One of the vessels which carry blood, either venous or arterial, to the heart. See Artery, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) One of the similar branches of the framework of a leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) One of the ribs or nervures of the wings of insects. See Venation. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Geol. or Mining) A narrow mass of rock intersecting other rocks, and filling inclined or vertical fissures not corresponding with the stratification; a lode; a dike; -- often limited, in the language of miners, to a mineral vein or lode, that is, to a vein which contains useful minerals or ores. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A fissure, cleft, or cavity, as in the earth or other substance. “Down to the veins of earth.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let the glass of the prisms be free from veins. Sir I. Newton. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A streak or wave of different color, appearing in wood, and in marble and other stones; variegation. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A train of associations, thoughts, emotions, or the like; a current; a course; as, reasoning in the same vein. [ 1913 Webster ]

He can open a vein of true and noble thinking. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Peculiar temper or temperament; tendency or turn of mind; a particular disposition or cast of genius; humor; strain; quality; also, manner of speech or action; as, a rich vein of humor; a satirical vein. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Certain discoursing wits which are of the same veins. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Invoke the Muses, and improve my vein. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to veins; venous. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Full of veins; streaked; variegated; as, veined marble. “Veined follies.” Ford. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Having fibrovascular threads extending throughout the lamina; as, a veined leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no veins; as, a veinless leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A small vein. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Marked with veins; veined; veiny. [ 1913 Webster ]

The excellent old gentleman's nails are long and leaden, and his hands lean and veinous. Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

. Quartz occurring as gangue in a vein. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Mining) The valueless nonmetalliferous mineral or rock material which surrounds the ores in a vein, as quartz, calcite, barite, fluor spar, etc.; gangue; matrix; -- called also veinstuff. [ 1913 Webster ]