veia

Veia is a Portuguese noun with several related meanings in different fields. Most commonly, it denotes a vein, a blood vessel that conducts blood toward the heart. In anatomy, veins form part of the circulatory system and carry deoxygenated blood from tissues back to the heart, with the exception of pulmonary veins, which carry oxygenated blood from the lungs. Veins typically have thinner walls than arteries, and many contain valves to prevent backflow. They are organized into superficial and deep networks and work together with arteries and capillaries to sustain circulation. Major examples include the vena cava, jugular veins, and femoral veins.

In geology and mining, veia (the Portuguese term for vein) refers to a fissure or crack in rock filled with mineral deposits, often a seam of ore. Veias form through hydrothermal processes and can host economically important minerals such as gold, silver, or quartz. The study of veias involves understanding their orientation, thickness, mineralogy, and relationships with surrounding rock, all of which influence exploration and extraction strategies.

The word veia is etymologically linked to the Latin vena, and cognate terms appear across Romance languages, reflecting the general concept of a pathway or channel for a fluid or mineral. In common usage, the precise meaning of veia is clarified by its context—anatomical, geological, or mineralogical.

See also: vena, veins, ore vein, circulatory system.