atherosclerosis

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A form of arteriosclerosis characterized by the deposition of atheromatous plaques containing cholesterol and lipids on the innermost layer of the walls of large and medium-sized arteries.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun (Med.) a form of arteriosclerosis characterized by irregular fatty deposits on the inner surface of large and medium-sized arteries; the deposits are associated with fibrosis and calcification of the inner layer of the arteries. Similar conditions may be found in swine and fowl. The deposits may become large enough to impede the blood circulation and in some cases may restrict the blood supply to the heart.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun pathology The clogging or hardening of arteries or blood vessels caused by plaques (accumulations of fatty deposits, usually cholesterol).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun a stage of arteriosclerosis involving fatty deposits (atheromas) inside the arterial walls, thus narrowing the arteries