The word corona is a Latin word meaning “crown”, from the Ancient Greek κορώνη (korōnè, “garland, wreath”). It was applied to the coronary arteries because of a notional resemblance (compare the photos).

The word arterie in Anglo-French (artaire in Old French, and artērium in Latin) means “windpipe” and “an artery.” It was applied to the coronary arteries because the arteries do not contain blood after death.

Coronary arterial dominance is defined by the vessel which gives rise to the posterior descending artery (PDA), which supplies the myocardium of the inferior third of the interventricular septum. Most hearts (80-85%) are right dominant where the PDA is supplied by the right coronary artery (RCA).