aorta

UK: /eɪˈɔː^rtə/ US: /eɪˈɔrtə/ ,(ā ôr′tə)

Inflections of 'aorta' (n):

aortas

npl

aortae

npl

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

a•or•ta /eɪˈɔrtə/   n. [countable] , pl. -tas, -tae (-tē).

1. Anatomy the main artery of mammals, carrying blood pumped from the left side of the heart to the rest of the body.

a•or•tic, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

a•or•ta  (ā ôr′tə), n., pl. -tas, -tae (-tē). [Anat.]

1. Anatomy the main trunk of the arterial system, conveying blood from the left ventricle of the heart to all of the body except the lungs. See illus. under heart. 

• Greek aorté̄ the great artery, literally, something hung, carried; akin to aeírein to lift, carry
• Medieval Latin
• 1570–80

a•or′tic, a•or′tal, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

aorta / eɪˈɔːtə/ noun ( -tas, -tae / -tiː/)

1. the main vessel in the arterial network, which conveys oxygen-rich blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs

Etymology: 16th Century: from New Latin, from Greek aortē, literally: something lifted, from aeirein to raise

aˈortic, aˈortal adjective