Daily Words Challenge: Day-2 Aorta Aorta is a big artery — it’s the biggest one you’ve got. You have the aorta to thank for circulating oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. The aorta is sometimes called a trunk artery. It begins at the left ventricle of your heart and runs down your abdomen, with other smaller arteries branching off throughout your body. So it sort of looks like the trunk of a tree that supports other branches. The heart pumps the blood flowing through the aorta, which is sent throughout the body. The aorta does all this work even though it’s only about a foot long and an inch in diameter. Plunge A plunge is a noun and a verb related to diving, falling, and sinking. A "polar bear plunge " is when people plunge into freezing cold water for charity or, inexplicably, for fun. Fig. Polar plunge ...