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

Tucked away on the ground floor of the foundation’s prodigious 12-story atrium on East 43rd Street, the gallery puts forth socially engaged shows that reflect the programmatic priorities of the Ford Foundation, a progressive leader in global philanthropy. —Najha Zigbi-Johnson, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2024

Domus, meaning a single-story home divided into two parts, is defined by a flat and wide superstructure, containing multiple guest areas that lead to a central atrium. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 24 June 2024

In 2023, photographer Nan Goldin and the anti-Sackler protest group PAIN led a die-in protest in the atrium of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard. —Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 8 Aug. 2024

As such, the selection of shops and restaurants on offer in IST is seriously good: there are full-sized designer boutiques for all the big hitters like Dior, Celine, and Louis Vuitton, as well as a pop-up brand market with more niche selections—all housed in a shiny central atrium. —Sophie Prideaux, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 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