Word Study
capillary
CIDE DICTIONARY
capillary, a. [L. capillaris, fr. capillus hair. Cf. Capillaire.].
- Resembling a hair; fine; minute; very slender; having minute tubes or interspaces; having very small bore; as, the capillary vessels of animals and plants. [1913 Webster]
- Pertaining to capillary tubes or vessels; as, capillary action. [1913 Webster]
capillary, n.
- A tube or vessel, extremely fine or minute. [1913 Webster]
- A minute, thin-walled vessel; particularly one of the smallest blood vessels connecting arteries and veins, but used also for the smallest lymphatic and biliary vessels. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
capillary, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 of or like a hair.
2 (of a tube) of hairlike internal diameter.
3 of one of the delicate ramified blood vessels intervening between arteries and veins.
--n. (pl. -ies)
1 a capillary tube.
2 a capillary blood vessel.
--adj.
1 of or like a hair.
2 (of a tube) of hairlike internal diameter.
3 of one of the delicate ramified blood vessels intervening between arteries and veins.
--n. (pl. -ies)
1 a capillary tube.
2 a capillary blood vessel.
Idiom
capillary action = CAPILLARITY.
Etymology
L capillaris f. capillus hair
THESAURUS
capillary
aorta, arterial, arteriole, artery, blood vessel, bristlelike, carotid, cirrose, cirrous, fibered, fibroid, fibrous, flagelliform, flossy, funicular, gossamery, hairlike, hairy, jugular vein, ligamental, portal vein, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, ropy, silky, stringy, taeniate, taeniform, threadlike, thready, vascular, vein, veinlet, veinous, vena cava, venation, venose, venous, venule, vesicular, wiryROGET THESAURUS
capillary
Filament
N filament, line, fiber, fibril, funicle, vein, hair, capillament, cilium, cilia, pilus, pili, tendril, gossamer, hair stroke, veinlet, venula, venule, wire, string, thread, packthread, cotton, sewing silk, twine, twist, whipcord, tape, ribbon, cord, rope, yarn, hemp, oakum, jute, strip, shred, slip, spill, list, band, fillet, fascia, ribbon, riband, roll, lath, splinter, shiver, shaving, beard, ramification, strand, filamentous, filamentiferous, filaceous, filiform, fibrous, fibrillous, thread-like, wiry, stringy, ropy, capillary, capilliform, funicular, wire-drawn, anguilliform, flagelliform, hairy, taeniate, taeniform, taenioid, venose, venous.For further exploring for "capillary" in Webster Dictionary Online
