ventricle

[ ven-tri-kuhl ]

noun

1. Zoology. any of various hollow organs or parts in an animal body.
2. 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.

ventricle

/ ˈvɛntrɪkəl /

noun

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

ventricle

/ vĕn′trĭ-kəl /

1. 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.
2. Any of four fluid-filled cavities in the brain of vertebrate animals. The ventricles are filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ventricle¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin ventriculus belly, ventricle. See venter, -i-, -cle ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ventricle¹

C14: from Latin ventriculus, diminutive of venter belly

Example Sentences

My heart felt like someone had grabbed it inside my rib cage and squeezed so hard the ventricles were about to burst.

From Time

Neither Kelly nor Lecomte had any change in the left ventricle ejection fraction, or the amount of blood pumped out with each contraction.

From Time

If San Diego’s urban core were a human heart, then the 53rd Congressional District would be, geographically, its left ventricle.

From Voice of San Diego

When she pulled her fingers away, she could see the thrust of his ventricle against his skin.

From The Daily Beast

Persistent glycosuria has been noted in brain injuries involving the floor of the fourth ventricle.

From Project Gutenberg

The little concavity between the false vocal bands above and the true vocal bands below is termed the ventricle of the larynx.

From Project Gutenberg

The blood is thus made to pass into the arteries upon the contraction of the ventricle walls.

From Project Gutenberg

Large ones are far from rare, and the ventricle is frequently enormously distended.

From Project Gutenberg

In pregnant women, a corrupt matter is generated which, flowing to the ventricle, spoils the appetite and causes sickness.

From Project Gutenberg