pericardium

noun

peri·​car·​di·​um ˌper-ə-ˈkär-dē-əm 

plural pericardia ˌper-ə-ˈkär-dē-ə 

1

: the conical sac of serous membrane that encloses the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels of vertebrates

2

: a cavity or space that contains the heart of an invertebrate and in arthropods is a part of the hemocoel

Examples of pericardium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In May, Pearce announced that she had been diagnosed with a heart condition called pericarditis, a swelling and irritation of the pericardium, the thin, saclike tissue that surrounds the heart, according to the Mayo Clinic. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 25 June 2024

The heart gets not one but two bags: a tough outer fibrous pericardium and a serous pericardium, protecting the heart and fixing it firmly in place in our constantly moving thorax. —Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 27 Dec. 2023

Cancer may also be found in the bronchus, pleura, diaphragm, chest wall, breastbone, backbone, phrenic nerve, pericardium, vena cava, aorta, pharynx, trachea, esophagus, and/or carina (the area where the trachea branches into the bronchi). —Lynne Eldridge, Verywell Health, 15 Aug. 2023

The pericardium is the heart’s edge, its limit, its reminder to not go beyond its size. —Heather Lanier, Longreads, 10 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Greek perikardion, neuter of perikardios around the heart, from peri- + kardia heart — more at heart

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pericardium

noun

peri·​car·​di·​um ˌper-ə-ˈkärd-ē-əm 

plural pericardia -ē-ə 

: the cone-shaped structure of membrane that encloses the vertebrate heart and the nearby parts of the large arteries and veins leading to or away from it

pericardial

-ē-əl

adjective

Medical Definition

pericardium

noun

peri·​car·​di·​um ˌper-ə-ˈkärd-ē-əm 

plural pericardia -ē-ə 

: the conical sac of serous membrane that encloses the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels of vertebrates and consists of an outer fibrous coat that loosely invests the heart and is prolonged on the outer surface of the great vessels except the inferior vena cava and a double inner serous coat of which one layer is closely adherent to the heart while the other lines the inner surface of the outer coat with the intervening space being filled with pericardial fluid