vertebral artery vs artery

vertebral artery and artery both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
vertebral artery	Yes	No	No	No
artery	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, artery is a hypernym of vertebral artery; that is, artery is a word with a broader meaning than vertebral artery:

vertebral artery: the first branch of the subclavian artery; divided into four parts
artery: a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body

Other hypernyms of vertebral artery include arteria, arterial blood vessel.

vertebral artery (noun)	artery (noun)
the first branch of the subclavian artery; divided into four parts	a major thoroughfare that bears important traffic
	a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body