atrium

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a·tri·um / ˈātrēəm/ • n. (pl. a·tri·a / ˈātrēə/ or a·tri·ums) 1. Archit. an open-roofed entrance hall or central court in an ancient Roman house. ∎  a central hall or court in a modern building, with rooms or galleries opening off it, often glass-covered.2. Anat. each of the two upper cavities of the heart from which blood is passed to the ventricles. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the veins of the body; the left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary vein. Also called auricle.DERIVATIVES: a·tri·al / ˈātrēəl/ adj.

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