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stent (stĕnt)
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n.
1. A device used to support a bodily orifice or cavity during skin grafting or to immobilize a skin graft following placement.
2. A short tubular device made of wire mesh or fabric that is placed permanently in an anatomical passage, usually an artery during angioplasty, to keep it open after occlusion.
[After Charles R. Stent (1845-1901), British dentist.]
(click for a larger image)
stent
top: A balloon catheter with a stent is inserted into a clogged artery.center: The balloon is inflated, expanding the stent.bottom: The stent is placed and the balloon catheter removed, keeping the artery open.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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