atrium

noun

atri·​um ˈā-trē-əm 

plural atria ˈā-trē-ə  also atriums

1

: the central room of a Roman house

2

plural usually atriums

a

: a rectangular open patio around which a house is built

b

: a many-storied court in a building (such as a hotel) usually with a skylight

3

[New Latin, from Latin] : an anatomical cavity or passage

especially : the chamber or either of the chambers of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into the ventricle or ventricles see heart illustration

atrial

ˈā-trē-əl 

adjective

Did you know?

In an ancient Roman house, an atrium was an open central court that contained the impluvium, a basin where rainwater collected. It originally contained the hearth and functioned as the center of family life. The term later came to be used for the open front courtyard of a Christian basilica, where congregants collected before services. The atrium was revived in the 20th century in the form of glass-covered, greenery-filled multistory spaces sometimes found in shopping centers, office buildings, and large hotels.

Examples of atrium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Watch on Deadline Italy’s National Cinema Museum was created in 2009 and is housed in the vast atrium of Turin’s architectural landmark the Mole Antonelliana. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2024

The ramp subtraction did more than just create fresh fan entrances, open atriums and oceans of vertical space. —Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024

After arriving in London via Métro-Floo, guests will enter the Ministry’s grand atrium and venture through other departments before boarding the ride to watch the trial of the villainous Dolores Umbridge — until Umbridge attempts to escape. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 July 2024

But the most interesting space is forward of the main salon and down a flight of stairs, where the yacht’s windshield acts like an atrium positioned over a second salon. —Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 30 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

atrium

noun

atri·​um ˈā-trē-əm 

plural atria -trē-ə  also atriums

: a chamber of the heart receiving blood from the veins and forcing it into a ventricle that in lung-breathing vertebrates (as frogs and human beings) is one of two chambers of which the right receives blood full of carbon dioxide from the body and the left receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs but in gill-breathing vertebrates (as fishes) is only a single chamber

Medical Definition

atrium

noun

atri·​um ˈā-trē-əm 

plural atria -trē-ə  also atriums

: an anatomical cavity or passage

especially : a chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle or ventricles