atrium

[ ey-tree-uhm ]

See synonyms for atrium on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural a·tri·a

[ey-tree-uh], /ˈeɪ tri ə/, a·tri·ums.

Architecture.
- 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 rainwater.
- a courtyard, flanked or surrounded by porticoes, in front of an early or medieval Christian church.
- 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

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin (in anatomical sense, from New Latin )

Other words from atrium

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use atrium in a sentence

Cue atrial fibrillation on my part; I'd already arranged to break my lease, and also, I'd gotten rather fond of him.
New York City, NIMBY Paradise | Megan McArdle | March 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
In Teleutoscolex there is but one pair of funnels opening into the same segment with the atrial pore.
Earthworms and their Allies | Frank E. Beddard
The gills lead also, as in Ascidians, to another cavity, the Atrial chamber.
Stories of the Universe: Animal Life | B. Lindsay
The two atrial tubes of each zooid remain separate in front but unite posteriorly.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4) | Francis Maitland Balfour
The atrial cavities in Pyrosoma are clearly lined by epiblast, just as in simple Ascidians.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4) | Francis Maitland Balfour

When the young colony is ready to become free, it escapes from the atrial cavity of the parent, and increases in size by budding.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4) | Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for atrium

atrium

/ (ˈeɪtrɪəm, ˈɑː-) /

nounplural 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

Origin of 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

Derived forms of atrium

atrial, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for atrium

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.

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