atrium

American  

[ey-tree-uhm] / ˈeɪ tri əm /

noun

plural

atria, atriums

1. 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 rainwater.

   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.

2. 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.

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atrium British  

/ ˈeɪtrɪəm, ˈɑː- /

noun

1. the open main court of a Roman house

2. a central often glass-roofed hall that extends through several storeys in a building, such as a shopping centre or hotel

3. a court in front of an early Christian or medieval church, esp one flanked by colonnades

4. anatomy a cavity or chamber in the body, esp the upper chamber of each half of the heart

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atrium Scientific  

/ ā′trē-əm /

plural

atria

1. 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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Other Word Forms

• atrial adjective
• interatrial adjective

Etymology

Origin of atrium

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

Example Sentences

Looking down into the atrium outside his office, you see a large carpet woven to look like an aerial photograph of bomb-ravaged Berlin at the end of World War II.

From The Wall Street Journal

The seven-bedroom main residence is Mediterranean in style, with a dramatic entry atrium, high coffered ceilings, expansive living and entertaining areas, covered loggias and a club-style game room and billiards lounge with a full bar.

From The Wall Street Journal

Inside, a dizzying atrium ties together a fluid series of galleries, all sized for contemporary art’s expanding scale.

From Los Angeles Times

Leonardo UK argued that Ms Kelly had a choice of either using the toilets nearest to her desk, walking through an atrium to toilets with more privacy, or using an accessible toilet.

From BBC

The opening of an inquest into his death was told Mr Silcox fell into an atrium stairwell "following the collapse of a wooden bannister" in the early hours of 25 October.

From BBC

Related Words

• chamber
• entrance