capillary
[ kap-uh-ler-ee ]
/ ˈkæp əˌlɛr i /
adjective
pertaining to or occurring in or as if in a tube of fine bore.
resembling a strand of hair; hairlike.
Physics.
- pertaining to capillarity.
- of or relating to the apparent attraction or repulsion between a liquid and a solid, observed in capillarity.
Anatomy.
pertaining to a capillary or capillaries.
noun, plural cap·il·lar·ies.
Anatomy.
one of the minute blood vessels between the terminations of the arteries and the beginnings of the veins.
Also called capillary tube.
a tube with a small bore.
Origin of capillary
OTHER WORDS FROM capillary
in·ter·cap·il·lar·y, adjective non·cap·il·lar·y, adjective, noun, plural non·cap·il·lar·ies.Words nearby capillary
British Dictionary definitions for capillary tube (1 of 2)
capillary tube
noun
a glass tube with a fine bore and thick walls, used in thermometers, etc
British Dictionary definitions for capillary tube (2 of 2)
capillary
/ (kəˈpɪlərɪ) /
adjective
resembling a hair; slender
(of tubes) having a fine bore
anatomy
of or relating to any of the delicate thin-walled blood vessels that form an interconnecting network between the arterioles and the venules
physics
of or relating to capillarity
noun plural -laries
anatomy
any of the capillary blood vessels
a fine hole or narrow passage in any substance
Word Origin for capillary
C17: from Latin
capillāris, from
capillus hair
Medical definitions for capillary tube
capillary
[ kăp′ə-lĕr′ē ]
adj.
Of or relating to the capillaries.
Relating to or resembling a hair; fine and slender.
n.
Blood capillary.
Scientific definitions for capillary tube
capillary
[ kăp′ə-lĕr′ē ]
Any of the tiny blood vessels that connect the smallest arteries (arterioles) to the smallest veins (venules). Capillaries form a network throughout the body for the exchange of oxygen, metabolic waste products, and carbon dioxide between blood and tissue cells.
Cultural definitions for capillary tube
capillary
[ (kap-uh-ler-ee) ]
A thin tube, such as a blood vessel or a straw, through which fluids flow.
notes for capillary
The interaction between the fluid and the vessel walls produces a
force that can lift the fluid up into the tube, a phenomenon known as capillary action.