atrium

[ey-tree-uhm]

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.

atrium

/ 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

atrium

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.

Other Word Forms

• atrial adjective
• interatrial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of atrium¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of atrium¹

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

Example Sentences

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.

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At the centre of the main atrium stands an 83-tonne statue of Ramses II, the pharaoh who ruled Egypt for 66 years and presided over its golden age.

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Notable decor included a statue of a bride hanging onto a rope that dangled in an atrium, a wall of framed prosthetic eyeballs and leopard-print seating.

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NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the hospital's atrium had been closed for a short time and traffic around the hospital had been temporarily diverted.

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The health board said the hospital's atrium had been closed for a short time and traffic around the hospital had been temporarily diverted.

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Related Words

• chamber 
• entrance