atrium
/ˈeɪtriəm/
noun
- A large open central area in a building, often with a glass roof, that lets in light and is used as a gathering space.
- The shopping mall has a beautiful atrium with skylights and cafes.
- We met in the atrium of the office building before heading to the conference.
- The hotel's atrium was filled with tropical plants and a fountain.
- Either of the two upper chambers of the heart that receive blood from the veins and pump it into the ventricles.
- The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body.
- Blood flows from the atrium into the ventricle through a valve.
- An echocardiogram can show the size and function of the left atrium.
- In ancient Roman houses, the main open courtyard or hall, often with a pool to collect rainwater.
- Guests were received in the atrium of the wealthy Roman home.
- The Roman villa had an atrium with a shallow pool called an impluvium.
- The ruins of Pompeii show many atria with beautiful mosaic floors.