| capillaries | <anatomy> The smallest vessels which contain oxygenated blood. The capillaries, allowing red blood cells to travel in single file, are responsible for delivering oxygen to the tissues on a cellular level. (16 Dec 1997) |
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| capillariomotor | Vasomotor, with special reference to the capillaries. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillarioscopy | Viewing the cutaneous capillaries at the base of the fingernail through the low power of the microscope. Synonym: capillaroscopy, microangioscopy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillaritis | Inflammation of a capillary or capillaries. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillarity | The action by which the surface of a liquid where it contacts a solid is elevated or depressed, because of the relative attraction of the molecules of the liquid for each other and for those of the solid. (12 Dec 1998) |
| capillaron | An anatomical module composed of parenchymal cells together with their blood capillaries and extracapillary fluid in a compliant capsule; functions as a hydraulic unit that provides a theoretical basis for proposing that blood flow is regulated at the capillary. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillaropathy | Any disease of the capillaries, often applied to vascular changes in diabetes mellitus. Synonym: microangiopathy. Origin: capillary + G. Pathos, disease (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillaroscopy | Viewing the cutaneous capillaries at the base of the fingernail through the low power of the microscope. Synonym: capillaroscopy, microangioscopy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillary | <anatomy> Any one of the minute vessels that connect the arterioles and venules, forming a network in nearly all parts of the body. Their walls act as semipermeable membranes for the interchange of various substances, including fluids, between the blood and tissue fluid. Synonym: vas capillare. Origin: L. Capillaris = hair like (16 Dec 1997) |
| capillary action | The phenomenon of a liquid such as water spontaneously creeping up thin tubes and fibres, this is caused by adhesive and cohesive forces and surface tension. (09 Oct 1997) |
| capillary angioma | <dermatology> Red or purple-coloured vascular skin markings that develop shortly after birth. Most are usually painless and benign and sharply demarcated from surrounding skin, usually located on the head and neck, and grow rapidly. It is caused by proliferation of immature capillary vessels in active stroma, and is usually present at birth or occurs within the first two or three months of life. Some lesions (cavernous haemangioma) will disappear or become harder to see as the child approaches school age. Localised steroid injections have been used successfully to reduce the size of a birthmark but generally they undergo spontaneous regression and involution without scarring and normally require no treatment. (07 Mar 2000) |
| capillary arteriole | A minute artery that terminates in a capillary. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillary attraction | The force that causes fluids to rise up very fine tubes or through the pores of a loose material. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillary bed | The capillaries considered collectively and their volume capacity for blood. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capillary circulation | The course of the blood through the capillaries. (05 Mar 2000) |