atrium

1. (architecture) A central room or space in ancient Roman homes, open to the sky in the middle; a similar space in other buildings.Synonyms: cavaedium

2. (architecture) A square hall lit by daylight from above, into which rooms open at one or more levels.

3. (anatomy) A cavity, entrance, or passage.Examples: "an atrium of the infundibula of the lungs"

4. (biology) Any enclosed body cavity or chamber.

5. (anatomy) An upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle. In higher vertebrates, the right atrium receives blood from the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava, and the left atrium receives blood from the left and right pulmonary veins.

6. (anatomy) A microscopic air sac within a pulmonary alveolus.