From Greek 'artēría' (windpipe) — the Greeks named it after the windpipe because they believed arteries carried air, not blood.
A blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the body's tissues; also, a main road or route.
From Latin artēria, from Greek artēria (windpipe, artery). The Greek word was originally used for the windpipe (trachea) and later extended to blood vessels. Aristotle and other early anatomists believed arteries carried air (pneuma) rather than blood, because arteries in cadavers are often empty — blood drains to the veins after death. The word's etymology is debated: it may derive from Greek aeirein (to raise, lift), from the PIE root *h₂wer- (to raise, lift), suggesting the aorta as the suspended vessel; or it may connect to aēr (air), reflecting the ancient belief that arteries
The ancient Greeks believed arteries carried air, not blood. When they dissected corpses, the arteries were empty (blood drains out after death), while the veins were still full. This led to the theory that arteries were air tubes — hence the name, from the same family as 'air.' It was not until Galen (2nd century CE) demonstrated