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Added 8 October 2026

vein

/veɪn/ noun

In Latin: vēna Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about vein at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries back to the heart.
The nurse hovered her vein finder to locate the veins in the patient's body.
The entrails of a shrimp.
In leaves, a thickened portion of the leaf containing the vascular bundle.

verb

To mark with veins or a vein-like pattern.

Origin

From Middle English veine, 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).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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