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Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Heart, Circulation and Breathing

Blood pressure

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

/ˈblʌd ˌpreʃər/nounCore term

In anatomy & physiology, blood pressure means: The force that circulating blood puts on the walls of the arteries. It is given as two numbers, systolic over diastolic, in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), for example 120/80.

In Turkish: kan basıncı, tansiyon

How it is used

Physiology explains how cardiac output and the resistance of the vessels determine it; on the ward you take or measure blood pressure, often written BP. High blood pressure is hypertension and low blood pressure is hypotension.

Example sentences

  1. His blood pressure was 130 over 85 when he arrived.

  2. Blood pressure falls when the arteries widen and rises when they narrow.

Common collocations

  • take blood pressure
  • high blood pressure
  • systolic blood pressure
  • diastolic blood pressure
  • blood pressure cuff
  • arteryA blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart. Most arteries carry oxygen-rich blood; the pulmonary arteries are the exception, taking blood low in oxygen to the lungs.
  • heartThe muscular organ in the chest that pumps blood around the body. It has four chambers: two atria that receive blood and two ventricles that pump it out.
  • cardiac cycleThe sequence of events in one heartbeat: contraction (systole) and relaxation (diastole) of the atria and ventricles, with the heart valves opening and closing in turn.
  • ventricleOne of the two lower chambers of the heart that pump blood out: the right ventricle sends blood to the lungs and the left ventricle sends it to the rest of the body.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Heart, Circulation and Breathing

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.