Artery

n. blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart; main road leading into a city

Arteries are muscular blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. All arteries, with the exception of the pulmonary and umbilical arteries, carry oxygenated blood.The circulatory system is extremely important for sustaining life. Its proper functioning is responsible for the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all cells, as well as the removal of carbon dioxide and waste products, maintenance of optimum pH, and the mobility of the elements, proteins and cells of the immune system. In developed countries, the two leading causes of death, myocardial infarction and stroke each may directly result from an arterial system that has been slowly and progressively compromised by years of deterioration. (See atherosclerosis).
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Artery /ar˙te˙ry/ a vessel in which blood flows away from the heart, in the systemic circulation carrying oxygenated blood. [more]Artery - Community and Resources

Noun
1. a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body
(synonym) arteria, arterial blood vessel
(hypernym) blood vessel
(hyponym) alveolar artery, arteria alveolaris
2. a major thoroughfare that bears important traffic
(hypernym) thoroughfare

(n.)
The trachea or windpipe.
  

(n.)
One of the vessels or tubes which carry either venous or arterial blood from the heart. They have tricker and more muscular walls than veins, and are connected with them by capillaries.
  

(n.)
Hence: Any continuous or ramified channel of communication; as, arteries of trade or commerce.