capillary

Noun · Adjective
Synonyms: capillary tubecapillary tubingcapillary vesselhairlike

WordNet 3.0

Noun (2)

  1. a tube of small internal diameter; holds liquid by capillary actionSynonyms: capillary tubecapillary tubing
  2. any of the minute blood vessels connecting arterioles with venulesSynonyms: capillary vessel

Adjective (2)

  1. of or relating to hair
  2. long and slender with a very small internal diameter“a capillary tube”Synonyms: hairlike
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Capillary \Cap"il*la*ry\, n.; pl. Capillaries.

1.A tube or vessel, extremely fine or minute. [1913 Webster]

2.(Anat.) 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]

Capillary \Cap"il*la*ry\ (k[a^]p"[i^]l*l[asl]*r[y^] or k[.a]*p[i^]l"l[.a]*r[y^]; 277), a. [L. capillaris, fr. capillus hair. Cf. Capillaire.]

1.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]

2.Pertaining to capillary tubes or vessels; as, capillary action. [1913 Webster]

Capillary attraction, Capillary repulsion, the apparent attraction or repulsion between a solid and liquid caused by capillarity. See Capillarity, and Attraction.

Capillarity tubes. See the Note under Capillarity. [1913 Webster]

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