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A Dictionary of Biology

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

capillary

capillary , microscopic blood vessel, smallest unit of the circulatory system . Capillaries form a network of tiny tubes throughout the body, connecting arterioles (smallest arteries ) and venules (smallest veins ). Through the thin capillary walls, which are composed of a single layer of cells, the nutritive material and oxygen in the blood pass into the body tissues, and waste matter and carbon dioxide in turn are absorbed from the tissues into the bloodstream.

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capillary

A Dictionary of Biology | 2004 | Â© A Dictionary of Biology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

capillary (blood capillary) The narrowest type of blood vessel in the vertebrate circulatory system. Capillaries conduct blood from arterioles to all living cells: their walls are only one cell layer thick, so that oxygen and nutrients can pass through them into the surrounding tissues. Capillaries also transport waste material (e.g. urea and carbon dioxide) to venules for ultimate excretion. Capillaries can be constricted or dilated, according to local tissue requirements. See microcirculation.

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