The main artery of the body, supplying oxygenated blood to the circulatory system. Anatomically, the aorta arises from the left ventricle of the heart and is divided into the ascending aorta, the aortic arch, and the descending aorta. The descending aorta is, in turn, subdivided into the thoracic aorta (that descends within the chest) and the abdominal aorta.