Meaning & use
arteriole
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalmedical
A very small branch of an artery that carries blood to the tiny vessels called capillaries.
Grammar: Can be counted: one arteriole, many arterioles.
Patterns
- arteriole in something
- arteriole of something
Blood flows from the artery into a smaller arteriole before reaching the capillaries.
Muscle in the wall of an arteriole can narrow the vessel.
The kidney has arterioles that control how much blood it filters.
Word forms
| plural | arterioles |
|---|
Common combinations
- constrict an arteriole
- Cold air makes the body constrict an arteriole in the skin.
- dilate an arteriole
- Exercise causes each arteriole in the muscle to dilate.
- arteriole wall
- The arteriole wall contains smooth muscle.
- afferent arteriole
- The afferent arteriole carries blood into the kidney's filter.
- blood flows through an arteriole
- Blood flows through an arteriole toward the capillary bed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- small artery
- Small artery is a plain-language phrase, while arteriole is the exact anatomical term for the narrowest arterial branches.
- capillary
- A capillary is even narrower and is where oxygen passes into tissue, whereas an arteriole feeds blood toward it.
- venule
- A venule is the small vessel carrying blood back toward veins, which is the opposite direction from an arteriole.
Opposites
Word family
- artery noun
- a large vessel carrying blood from the heart
- arterial adjective
- relating to arteries
- arteriosclerosis noun
- hardening of the artery walls
- arteritis noun
- inflammation of an artery
Commonly confused: arteriole or arteriole vs. venule?
arteriole vs arteriole vs. venule
An arteriole leads blood toward the capillaries, while a venule collects blood after the capillaries and sends it toward the veins.
Practice
Where is an arteriole found in the circulatory system?
Choose one answer.
Arterioles are small branches of arteries that lead to capillaries. Vessels linking capillaries to veins are venules.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “arteriole”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.