artery

n.; pl. Arteries [ L. arteria windpipe, artery, Gr. &unr_;. ] 1. The trachea or windpipe. [ Obs. ] “Under the artery, or windpipe, is the mouth of the stomach.” Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Anat.) One of the vessels or tubes which carry either venous or arterial blood from the heart. They have tricker and more muscular walls than veins, and are connected with them by capillaries. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In man and other mammals, the arteries which contain arterialized blood receive it from the left ventricle of the heart through the aorta. See Aorta. The pulmonary artery conveys the venous blood from the right ventricle to the lungs, whence the arterialized blood is returned through the pulmonary veins. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Hence: Any continuous or ramified channel of communication; as, arteries of trade or commerce. [ 1913 Webster ]