atrium

[ ey-tree-uh m ]
/ ˈeɪ tri əm /

noun, plural a·tri·a [ey-tree-uh] /ˈeɪ tri ə/, a·tri·ums.

Architecture.
  1. Also called cavaedium. the main or central room of an ancient Roman house, open to the sky at the center and usually having a pool for the collection of rain water.
  2. a courtyard, flanked or surrounded by porticoes, in front of an early or medieval Christian church.
  3. a skylit central court in a contemporary building or house.
Anatomy. either of the two upper chambers on each side of the heart that receive blood from the veins and in turn force it into the ventricles.

Origin of atrium

1570–80; < Latin (in anatomical sense < NL)

OTHER WORDS FROM atrium

a·tri·al, adjective in·ter·a·tri·al, adjective

Words nearby atrium

atrioventricular nodal extrasystole, atrioventricular nodal rhythm, atrioventricular node, atrioventricular septum, atrip, atrium, atroceruleous, atrocious, atrocious assault and battery, atrocity, atropatene

Words related to atria

chamber, entrance, cavity, court, room, passage

Example sentences from the Web for atria

British Dictionary definitions for atria

atrium
/ (ˈeɪtrɪəm, ˈɑː-) /

noun plural atria (ˈeɪtrɪə, ˈɑː-)

the open main court of a Roman house
a central often glass-roofed hall that extends through several storeys in a building, such as a shopping centre or hotel
a court in front of an early Christian or medieval church, esp one flanked by colonnades
anatomy a cavity or chamber in the body, esp the upper chamber of each half of the heart

Derived forms of atrium

atrial, adjective

Word Origin for atrium

C17: from Latin; related to āter black, perhaps originally referring to the part of the house that was blackened by smoke from the hearth

Medical definitions for atria

atrium
[ ā′trē-əm ]

n. pl. a•tri•ums

A chamber or cavity to which several chambers or passageways are connected.
Either the right or the left upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle.
That part of the tympanic cavity that lies below the eardrum.
A subdivision of the alveolar duct in the lung from which the alveolar sacs open.

Scientific definitions for atria

atrium
[ ā′trē-əm ]

Plural atria atriums

A chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it by muscular contraction into a ventricle. Mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians have two atria; fish have one.

Cultural definitions for atria

atria
[ (ay-tree-uh) ]

sing. atrium (ay-tree-uhm)

The two upper chambers in the heart, which receive blood from the veins and push it into the ventricles. (See circulatory system.)