vasomotor

Vasomotor is a technical adjective describing the nerves, centres, mechanisms, and effects that control the diameter of blood vessels. Because blood vessels can narrow or widen, vasomotor activity helps regulate blood pressure, blood flow, and the body’s loss of heat. The word commonly appears in phrases such as “vasomotor nerves,” “vasomotor tone,” and “vasomotor response.” It is especially associated with the reflex constriction of vessels near the skin in response to cold, but it also applies to wider physiological regulation and to the effects of drugs on vascular tone. Vasomotor should not be confused with either vasoconstrictor or vasodilator: those terms name substances or agents that produce a specific response, whereas vasomotor identifies the regulatory system more generally. The word is useful in medical and scientific contexts because it links changes in vessel width to their underlying nervous or physiological control.

Of or relating to the nerves, mechanisms, or effects that regulate the diameter of blood vessels.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Etymology of vasomotor

Vasomotor combines the Latin vās, meaning “vessel,” with Latin motor, meaning “mover.” The English compound developed within medical usage to refer to the mechanisms that move or control the calibre of blood vessels. Its Latin ancestry is reflected in cognates such as vascular and vessel on one side, and motor and motion on the other.

How vasomotor is actually used

Chiefly formal and technical, especially in medicine, neuroscience, and pharmacology. It is usually used attributively in expressions such as “vasomotor nerves” and “vasomotor response.” The term describes regulation of vessel diameter; it does not by itself specify whether the vessels are constricting or dilating.

Words and phrases paired with vasomotor

Rhymes with vasomotor