[ar.tery] n, pl -ter.ies [ME arterie, fr. L arteria, fr. Gk arteria; akin to Gk aorte aorta] (14c) 1: any of the tubular branching muscular- and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body
2: a channel (as a river or highway) of transportation or communication; esp: the main channel in a branching system