ventricle

[ ven-tri-kuh l ]
/ ˈvɛn trɪ kəl /

noun

Zoology. any of various hollow organs or parts in an animal body.
Anatomy.
  1. either of the two lower chambers on each side of the heart that receive blood from the atria and in turn force it into the arteries.
  2. one of a series of connecting cavities of the brain.

Origin of ventricle

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin ventriculus belly, ventricle. See venter, -i-, -cle1

Words nearby ventricle

ventral plate, ventral plate of neural tube, ventral root, ventral thalamic peduncle, ventri-, ventricle, ventricles, ventricose, ventricular, ventricular artery, ventricular band of larynx

Example sentences from the Web for ventricle

British Dictionary definitions for ventricle

ventricle
/ (ˈvɛntrɪkəl) /

noun anatomy

a chamber of the heart, having thick muscular walls, that receives blood from the atrium and pumps it to the arteries
any one of the four main cavities of the vertebrate brain, which contain cerebrospinal fluid
any of various other small cavities in the body

Word Origin for ventricle

C14: from Latin ventriculus, diminutive of venter belly

Medical definitions for ventricle

ventricle
[ vĕn′trĭ-kəl ]

n.

A small cavity or chamber within a body or organ, especially the right or left ventricle of the heart or any of the interconnecting ventricles of the brain.

Scientific definitions for ventricle

ventricle
[ vĕn′trĭ-kəl ]

A chamber of the heart that receives blood from one or more atria and pumps it by muscular contraction into the arteries. Mammals, birds, and reptiles have two ventricles; amphibians and fish have one.
Any of four fluid-filled cavities in the brain of vertebrate animals. The ventricles are filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

Other words from ventricle

ventricular adjective (vĕn-trĭk′yə-lər)