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atrium

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An atrium is a patio, rectangular in shape and open to the elements, attached to a house or is a courtyard, usually located in the center of a building with several floors, and typically has a skylight at the very top. ()

An example of an atrium is the outdoor patio located off the kitchen of a house and accessed through sliding glass doors.
An example of an atrium is an area of benches and plants located in the center of a multi-leveled shopping mall with a skylight at the top.

An atrium is a body cavity, specifically relating to the heart’s chambers which take in blood. (noun)

When a person has open-heart surgery to repair a blockage in an artery which gives blood to the heart, it is an example of surgery on their atrium.

See atrium in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. atria or atriums

the central court or main room of an ancient Roman house
a hall or court at the center or entrance of a building, usually rising through more than one story or all the stories and having a skylight or glass on one side and the roof
Anat. a chamber or cavity, esp. either of the thin-walled upper chambers of the heart that receive blood; auricle

Related Forms:

atrial adjective

See atrium in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(āˈtrē-əm)

noun pl. a·tri·a (āˈtrē-ə) or a·tri·ums

Architecture A rectangular court, as:
a. A usually skylighted central area, often containing plants, in some modern buildings, especially of a public or commercial nature.
b. The open area in the center of an ancient Roman house.
c. The forecourt of a building, such as an early Christian church, enclosed on three or four sides with porticoes.
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.

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