a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart
"all veins except the pulmonary vein carry unaerated blood"
a layer of ore between layers of rock
"The miners discovered a rich vein of gold running deep beneath the mountain surface."
A blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries back to the heart.
"The swollen vein in his arm throbbed painfully after he injured it."
In plain English: A vein is a blood vessel that carries blood back to your heart from other parts of your body.
"The doctor pressed on my arm to feel for a vein before drawing blood."
Usage: Use this word specifically for the small, visible blue vessels under your skin rather than larger arteries carrying oxygenated blood away from the heart. As a verb, it describes creating lines that resemble these natural patterns on surfaces like leather or stone.
make a veinlike pattern
"The artist used charcoal to sketch how the ink would bleed into a veinlike pattern across the paper."
To mark with veins or a vein-like pattern.
"The artist carefully veined the marble sculpture to mimic the natural flow of stone."
In plain English: To vein means to have lines running through something, usually referring to patterns on leaves or skin that look like small rivers.
"She tried to vein her way out of the argument before things got heated."
The word "vein" comes from the Latin vēna, which originally meant a blood vessel or artery. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, though it entered English through Anglo-Norman and Middle French.