atherosclerosis

Definition

The clogging or hardening of arteries or blood vessels caused by plaques (accumulations of fatty deposits, usually cholesterol).

Etymology

From athero- + sclerosis.

Example Sentences

• "Near-synonym: ASCVD"
• "Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism."

Related Words