few-veined
|few-veined|
/ˌfjuːˈveɪnd/
having few veins
Etymology
'few-veined' originates from English, specifically a compound of 'few' and 'veined', where 'few' meant 'not many' and 'veined' is the past-participial adjective formed from 'vein' meaning 'vessel, streak'.
'few' comes from Old English 'feaw' (meaning 'few'), while 'vein' ultimately comes from Latin 'vena' via Old French 'veine' and Middle English 'vein'; the modern compound 'few-veined' developed in Modern English by combining these elements.
Initially it described simply 'having a small number of veins'; over time it has remained a literal descriptive term used especially in technical contexts such as botany and entomology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having relatively few veins (in leaves, insect wings, or other thin membranous structures); used chiefly in botanical or entomological descriptions.
The few-veined leaves of the specimen helped the botanist narrow down its identification.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/27 18:48