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atrium

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a⋅tri⋅um

  [ey-tree-uhm]
Use atrium in a Sentence
–noun, plural a⋅tri⋅a  [ey-tree-uh] , a⋅tri⋅ums.
1. Architecture.
a. 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 rain water.
b. a courtyard, flanked or surrounded by porticoes, in front of an early or medieval Christian church.
c. 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.

Origin:
1570–80; < L (in anatomical sense < NL)

Related forms:
a⋅tri⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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a·tri·um   (ā'trē-əm)   
n.   pl. a·tri·a (ā'trē-ə) or a·tri·ums

  1. Architecture A rectangular court, as:

    1. A usually skylighted central area, often containing plants, in some modern buildings, especially of a public or commercial nature.

    2. The open area in the center of an ancient Roman house.

    3. The forecourt of a building, such as an early Christian church, enclosed on three or four sides with porticoes.

  2. Anatomy A body cavity or chamber, especially either of the upper chambers of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle. Also called auricle.


[Latin ātrium; see āter- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

atrium 
1577, from L., "central court or main room of an ancient Roman house," sometimes said (on authority of Varro, "De Lingua Latina") to be an Etruscan word, but perhaps from PIE *ater- "fire," on notion of "place where smoke from the hearth escapes" (through a hole in the roof). Anatomical sense of "either of the upper cavities of the heart" first recorded 1870. Meaning "skylit central court in a public building" first attested 1967.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: atri·um
Pronunciation: 'A-trE-&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural atria /-trE-&/ also atri·ums
: an anatomical cavity or passage; especially : a chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle orventricles
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

atrium a·tri·um (ā'trē-əm)
n. pl. a·tri·ums or a·tri·a (ā'trē-ə)

  1. A chamber or cavity to which several chambers or passageways are connected.

  2. Either the right or the left upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle.

  3. That part of the tympanic cavity that lies below the eardrum.

  4. A subdivision of the alveolar duct in the lung from which the alveolar sacs open.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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