# What is the main artery called?

The main artery is called the aorta. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as the largest artery in the body.

## What it means

- The largest artery in the body.
- Arches out of the top of the heart and descends through the chest and abdomen.
- All systemic arteries branch, directly or indirectly, from the aorta.

## Action steps

1. Arises from the left ventricle at the base of the heart.
2. Ascends, arches to the left, then descends through the chest.
3. Passes through the diaphragm and continues into the abdomen.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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