n., pl., -di·a (-dē-ə).
The membranous sac filled with serous fluid that encloses the heart and the roots of the aorta and other large blood vessels.
[New Latin, from Greek perikardion, from perikardios, around the heart : peri-, peri- + kardiā, heart.]
pericardial per'i·car'di·al (-dē-əl) or per'i·car'di·ac' (-dē-ăk') adj.
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.
