plural atria
ˈā-trē-ə 
also atriums
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
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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
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When the shooting started, the pair of school resource officers were in the school’s atrium talking about that evening’s Bible study, which would focus on Ephesians 6:10-18.
—
Dakin Andone, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
Most houses in Pompeii were built around an atrium, as was common for the time.
—Alex Greenberger For Artnews, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024
The tricuspid valve, which allows blood flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle.
—Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2024
The attraction's narrative places us on a trip from Paris (where the entire land is set) to the British Ministry of Magic for Umbridge's trial, which visitors enter through the organization's grand atrium (as seen in the Potter films), though Umbridge ultimately escapes.
—EW.com, 23 Oct. 2024
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Dakin Andone, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
Most houses in Pompeii were built around an atrium, as was common for the time.
—Alex Greenberger For Artnews, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024
The tricuspid valve, which allows blood flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle.
—Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2024
The attraction's narrative places us on a trip from Paris (where the entire land is set) to the British Ministry of Magic for Umbridge's trial, which visitors enter through the organization's grand atrium (as seen in the Potter films), though Umbridge ultimately escapes.
—EW.com, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atrium
Dictionary Entries Near atrium
Cite this Entry
“Atrium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atrium. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
atrium
noun
atri·um
ˈā-trē-əm
plural atria
-trē-ə
also atriums
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
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