avascular

IPA/eɪˈvæs.kjə.lər/
IPA/eɪˈvæs.kjə.lɚ/

avascular — adjective

  • avascularpositive
  • more avascularcomparative
  • most avascularsuperlative

1. describes a part of the body or tissue that has no blood vessels carrying blood

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

describes a part of the body or tissue that has no blood vessels carrying blood through it, so it must receive nutrients by other means such as diffusion.

Example

The surgeon explained that cartilage is avascular, so it heals slowly after a knee injury.

predictive use: cartilage is avascular

Avascular necrosis of the hip may require joint replacement if the bone collapses.

attributive use: avascular necrosis

Common collocations
  • avascular tissue
  • avascular necrosis
  • avascular region
  • avascular graft
  • avascular area
Synonyms
  • nonvascular

    broader term used in both medicine and botany; less precise in clinical contexts

  • bloodless

    lay term, not used in medical writing; may also mean 'without bloodshed'

Antonyms
  • vascular

    the direct opposite; describes tissue that has a normal supply of blood vessels

Grammar Patterns

avascular + noun

be + avascular

Usage Note

Avascular is a technical term used mainly in medicine and anatomy. Its opposite is vascular, which means 'having blood vessels'. The related noun is avascularity.

Common Mistakes

The wound is avascular because of poor circulation.
The wound is ischemic because of poor circulation.
'Avascular' means having no blood vessels at all; 'ischemic' means having reduced blood flow, but the vessels still exist.

Word family

  • avascularity
    nounC2
  • vascular
    adjectiveB2
  • vasculature
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Avascular, ischemic, and nonvascular all describe a lack of blood supply, but they differ in precision. Avascular means no blood vessels are present at all — a structural description used for cartilage, tendons, and certain pathological conditions (e.g., avascular necrosis). Ischemic describes reduced blood flow through existing vessels, not their absence; a heart attack causes ischemic damage, not avascular damage. Nonvascular is a broader, less clinical term used across biology (plants as well as animals) and is avoided in surgical contexts. For clinical reports, 'avascular' is the correct choice when the tissue literally lacks vessels.

avascular ↗ischemicnonvascular

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • avascular in nature

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Formed from the prefix a- (meaning 'without') and vascular (from Latin vasculum, 'small vessel'), the word was coined in 19th-century medical Latin to describe tissues lacking blood vessels.

First known use

1879

1879, in the meaning defined above