: the proximal part of the main artery of the arm or forelimb
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebClenney allegedly plunged a knife 3 ½ inches into Obumseli's chest, puncturing his subclavian artery, during an argument April 3 at their luxury high-rise apartment in Miami. Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 12 Aug. 2022 Projecting an illustration of a kitchen knife on a screen, Fernandez Rundle explained that on April 3, Clenney stabbed Obumseli with a six-inch blade that penetrated three inches into his chest and pierced his subclavian artery, killing him. Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2022
Word History
First Known Use
1615, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
subclavian artery
noun
: the proximal part of the main artery of the arm that arises on the right side from the brachiocephalic artery and on the left side from the arch of the aorta, that extends from its point of origin to the outer border of the first rib where it becomes the axillary artery and passes through the axilla and into the arm to become the brachial artery, and that supplies or gives off branches supplying the brain, neck, anterior wall of the thorax, and shoulder