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Definition of vein noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

vein

noun
 
 
/veɪn/
 
/veɪn/
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  1.  
    [countable] any of the tubes that carry blood from all parts of the body towards the heart
    • the jugular vein
    • The nurse was having trouble finding a vein in his arm.
    compare artery see also deep vein thrombosis, portal vein, thread vein, varicose vein
    Homophones vain | veinvain   vein
     
    /veɪn/
     
    /veɪn/
    • vain adjective
      • He plunged into the icy water in a vain effort to rescue his dog.
    • vein noun
      • A vein in her head throbbed when she was angry.
    Extra Examples
    • He felt the adrenalin coursing through his veins.
    • The philosopher Seneca opened his veins in his bath.
    • The veins stood out on her throat and temples.
    • There's a drop of Irish blood in her veins.
    Topics Bodyc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • blue
    • broken
    • spider
    • …
    verb + vein
    • course through
    • flow through
    • pump through
    • …
    vein + verb
    • pulse
    • throb
    • bulge
    • …
    phrases
    • … blood in somebody’s veins
    See full entry
  2. [countable] any of the very thin tubes that form the frame of a leaf or an insect’s wing
  3. [countable] a narrow area of a different colour in some types of stone, wood and cheese
  4. [countable] a thin layer of minerals or metal contained in rock synonym seam
    • a vein of gold
  5. [singular] vein (of something) an amount of a particular quality or feature in something
    • They had tapped a rich vein of information in his secretary.
    • There was a vein of proverbial wisdom in what he said.
    Extra Examples
    • The writer tapped into a rich vein of humour in the play.
    • The team have hit a rich vein of form recently.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • rich
    verb + vein
    • hit
    • strike
    • mine
    • …
    preposition
    • vein of
    phrases
    • in a different vein
    • in a lighter vein
    • in a more serious vein
    • …
    See full entry
  6. [singular, uncountable] a particular style or manner
    • A number of other people commented in a similar vein.
    • ‘And that's not all,’ he continued in angry vein.
    • Other speakers tackled the same problem in a lighter vein.
    • Fortunately, the rest of the evening continued in a lighter vein.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • rich
    verb + vein
    • hit
    • strike
    • mine
    • …
    preposition
    • vein of
    phrases
    • in a different vein
    • in a lighter vein
    • in a more serious vein
    • …
    See full entry
    7. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French veine, from Latin vena. The earliest senses were ‘blood vessel’ and ‘small natural underground channel of water’.
See vein in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee vein in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: vein

Nearby words

dizzy
adjective
 
 
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