Phrase guide

vena cava

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ˌviːnə ˈkeɪvə/
  • rhymes with -eɪvə

1

noun

Meaning 1

Either of the two large veins that take oxygen depleted blood, from the upper body and from the lower body, and return it to the right atrium of the heart.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

either of two large veins that return oxygen-depleted blood to the right atrium of the heart

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: vein, vena, venous blood vessel

Narrower terms: inferior vena cava, postcava, superior vena cava, precava

History

Etymology

Literally "hollow vein."

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: holle ader — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Dutch: vena cava — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Finnish: onttolaskimo — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • French: veine cave — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Hindi: महाशिरा (mahāśirā) — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Italian: vena cava — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Japanese: 大静脈 (daijōmyaku) — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Māori: ia auraki matua — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Polish: żyła główna — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Portuguese: veia cava — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Romanian: venă cavă — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Spanish: vena cava — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Swedish: hålven — large vein that returns blood into right atrium
  • Telugu: బృహత్సిర (br̥hatsira) — large vein that returns blood into right atrium