Veined With: Standard Pattern
Veined With: Standard Pattern records a directly evidenced English construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the attested complement rather than turning one documented pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Use “veined with” when something contains narrow lines, streaks, or veins of a contrasting colour or material.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Context | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| surface/material contains narrow contrasting lines or streaks | veined with | Use “veined with + colour/material” for the reviewed pattern. |
| describing the base object without naming the contrasting material | veined | The adjective can stand without a “with” complement. |
| different meaning of vein is intended | check sense | Do not extend this construction to unrelated senses merely because “vein” appears. |
Quick tests
Streak-content test
Are you naming the colour or material that appears as narrow veins or streaks through something?
If yes: Use “veined with + colour/material.”
If no: Keep the construction bounded to the documented line-or-vein sense.
Caveat: The evidence directly supports “veined with”; it does not establish a universal preposition rule for every use of “veined.”
Examples
The pale stone was veined with grey.
“With” introduces the contrasting colour running through the stone.
The cheese was veined with blue mould.
The complement names the material appearing as veins.
They chose a richly veined slab.
The adjective can modify a noun without an explicit complement.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “veined with” when something contains narrow lines, streaks, or veins of a contrasting colour or material.
Style Boundary
Collins dictionary editorial text directly uses “veined with.” This page stays with the attested line-or-vein construction.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Roquefort — Collins English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Collins Dictionary · Collins dictionary editorial definition using the exact “veined with” construction for cheese.