Meaning & use
carotid artery
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemedicalbiology
One of the two large blood vessels in the neck that carry blood from the heart up to the head and brain.
Grammar: Has a regular plural: carotid arteries.
Patterns
- blockage in the carotid artery
- pulse in the carotid artery
The nurse checked his pulse at the carotid artery in his neck.
A blocked carotid artery can cause a stroke.
The surgeon repaired the damaged carotid artery.
Word forms
| plural | carotid arteries |
|---|
Common combinations
- blocked carotid artery
- A blocked carotid artery raises the risk of a stroke.
- left carotid artery
- The left carotid artery was scanned.
- carotid artery disease
- Carotid artery disease can cause no symptoms for years.
- feel the carotid artery
- Feel the carotid artery beside the windpipe.
- carotid artery surgery
- He had carotid artery surgery last spring.
Synonyms and how they differ
- carotid
- Carotid alone is the short form used by doctors and means the same artery.
- neck artery
- Neck artery is a casual phrase and can mean any artery in the neck, not specifically the carotid.
- common carotid
- The common carotid is the main trunk before it divides into branches.
Word family
Commonly confused: carotid artery or jugular vein?
carotid artery vs jugular vein
The jugular vein also runs in the neck but carries blood from the head back to the heart, while the carotid artery carries it up.
Practice
The carotid artery carries blood from the heart to the ___.
Choose one answer.
The carotid arteries in the neck supply the head and brain. The legs, kidneys and lungs are served by other vessels.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carotid artery”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.