n., pl., a·tri·a (ā'trē-ə), or -ums.
- Architecture. A rectangular court, as:
- A usually skylighted central area, often containing plants, in some modern buildings, especially of a public or commercial nature.
- The open area in the center of an ancient Roman house.
- 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.
[Latin ātrium.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.