Vein Meaning
/veɪn/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries back to the heart.
nounThe entrails of a shrimp.
Sentence Examples
Blood poured from the cut vein.
A vein of poetry exists in the hearts of all men.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor injected the medicine into a ____ in my arm using a needle.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor checked the ____ in the patient's arm before he started the process of drawing several blood today.
Word Origin & History
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).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"An vncouth paine torments my grieued ſoule,
And death arreſts the organe of my voyce.
Who entring at the breach thy ſword hath made,
Sackes euery vaine and artier of my heart, […]"
— c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene vii:
"They generally occur in the earth in what are called veins, and are seldom found in the pure metallic state, but generally in combination with some other substance, in which state they are called ores."
— 1846, editorial staff, “CHEMISTRY”, in Scientific American, series 1, Volume 2, Issue 13, page 102:
"He[…]is able to open new scenes, and discover a vein of true and noble thinking."
— 1712, Jonathan Swift, A Proposal For Correcting, Improving, and Ascertaining the English Tongue:
"Come ride with me
Through the veins of history,
I'll show you how God
Falls asleep on the job"
— 2006, Matt Bellamy, “Knights of Cydonia”, in Black Holes and Revelations, performed by Muse:
"certain discoursing wits which are of the same veins"
— 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Truth”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor injected the medicine into a ____ in my arm using a needle.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor checked the ____ in the patient's arm before he started the process of drawing several blood today.