atrium
Americannoun
plural
atria, atriums-
Architecture.
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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.
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a courtyard, flanked or surrounded by porticoes, in front of an early or medieval Christian church.
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a skylit central court in a contemporary building or house.
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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.
noun
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the open main court of a Roman house
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a central often glass-roofed hall that extends through several storeys in a building, such as a shopping centre or hotel
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a court in front of an early Christian or medieval church, esp one flanked by colonnades
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anatomy a cavity or chamber in the body, esp the upper chamber of each half of the heart
plural
atriaOther Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of atrium
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin (in anatomical sense, from New Latin )
Explanation
If you're in the atrium of a building, you're in a large central space, often one that's open and airy. You might arrange to meet a friend in the museum's atrium because of its central location and open feel. Often a key feature in a modern building, an atrium is usually spacious and several stories high with windows facing the sky. The atrium serves as a welcoming central area, with other rooms leading off of the space. An atrium can also refer to a chamber that's linked to other chambers or spaces. In your heart, the right atrium receives deoxygenated blood, while the left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary vein.
Vocabulary lists containing atrium
Built To Last: Architectural Parlance
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil will be held in the atrium of St Peter's Basilica.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
On Tuesday, I entered the wide-open atrium of the sleek, sand-colored building designed by Heneghan Peng Architects, a space so vast that even its 30-foot-tall red granite statue of Ramses II seems dwarfed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025
Davis took this approach in the three-story atrium of his Calle del Sierra Residence in Stinson Beach, which is visually connected on all levels, showcasing exposed timber trusses and open lofts reachable via intricate ladders.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025
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.
From Salon • Aug. 5, 2025
She glanced up at the balconies ringing the atrium.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
