vein
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.one of the tubes in your body that carries blood back to your heart.
n.a blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries toward the heart.
Simple“The nurse looked for a vein in my arm to take a blood sample.”
In context“The surgeon carefully avoided the major veins while performing the delicate procedure on the patient's leg.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.a thin line of a different colour or material found in things like marble, cheese, or wood.
n.a stripe or streak of a distinct colour or composition within a mineral, rock, or organic material.
Simple“The white marble had beautiful green veins running through it.”
In context“Geologists discovered a rich vein of gold embedded deep within the quartz formation.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.the thin lines that make up the framework of a leaf or an insect's wing.
n.the vascular framework of a leaf or the structural nervure of an insect's wing.
Simple“If you look closely at the leaf, you can see the tiny veins that carry water.”
In context“The biologist examined the intricate network of veins in the dragonfly's wing under a microscope.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a particular way of expressing yourself or a specific mood.
n.a distinctive style, quality, or thematic tendency in speech or writing.
Simple“The comedian continued in a humorous vein, telling stories about his childhood.”
In context“The author's later novels were written in a much more pessimistic vein than her early romantic works.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to mark something with a pattern of lines that look like veins.
v.to decorate or mark a surface with a vein-like pattern.
Simple“The artist used a fine brush to vein the painted pillars so they looked like real stone.”
In context“The sunset was veined with streaks of deep purple and gold as the light faded over the horizon.”
Synonymsstreakmarbelize
“It works by narrowing a vein at the back of the heart.”
“In this vein, a lot of esports injury research has pulled from the training methods of traditional sports.”
From Middle English veyne, borrowed from Anglo-Norman veine, from Latin vēna (“a blood-vessel; vein; artery”) of uncertain origin. See vēna for more. Doublet of vena. Displaced native edre, from ǣdre (whence edder).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.