capillary
adj 1: of or relating to hair
2: long and slender with a very small internal diameter; "a
capillary tube" [syn: {capillary}, {hairlike}]
n 1: a tube of small internal diameter; holds liquid by
capillary action [syn: {capillary}, {capillary tube},
{capillary tubing}]
2: any of the minute blood vessels connecting arterioles with
venules [syn: {capillary}, {capillary vessel}]
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]
41 Moby Thesaurus words for "capillary": aorta, arterial, arteriole, artery, blood vessel, bristlelike, carotid, cirrose, cirrous, fibered, fibroid, fibrous, flagelliform, flossy, funicular, gossamery, hairlike, hairy, jugular vein, ligamental, portal vein, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, ropy, silky, stringy, taeniate, taeniform, threadlike, thready, vascular, vein, veinlet, veinous, vena cava, venation, venose, venous, venule, vesicular, wiry