capillary
/ˈkæpəˌlɛri/
noun
- Any of the tiny, thin-walled blood vessels that connect arteries and veins, allowing exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste between blood and tissues.
- Doctors can see damaged capillaries in the eyes of people with diabetes.
- When you cut your finger, the blood from broken capillaries makes the wound red.
- Oxygen passes from the lungs into the bloodstream through tiny capillaries in the air sacs.
- A very narrow tube or channel, especially one that draws liquid upward by capillary action.
- Water moves through the tiny capillaries in the soil to reach plant roots.
- In a thermometer, the liquid rises inside a thin glass capillary.
- The scientist used a glass capillary to collect a small sample of blood.
adjective
- Relating to or resembling a capillary or capillaries; very slender or hair-like.
- Capillary blood vessels are so thin that red blood cells must pass through them single file.
- The plant's capillary roots spread out to absorb water from the soil.
- Capillary action helps a paper towel soak up a spill.