Atrium

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈeɪ.tɹi.əm/

Definitions

1. A large open area within a building, often with a glass roof for natural light ; a chamber in the heart that receives blood from the veins and passes it to a ventricle
2. An architectural space usually found near the entrance of a structure, open to the floors above ; one of the two upper heart chambers that collect blood coming into the heart
3. An interior space in buildings designed to let in light and air, typically located centrally ; a heart chamber that acts as a receiving room for blood before it moves to a lower heart chamber

Etymology: The Romans borrowed this word from the Etruscans, the people who lived in what is now Tuscany before Rome rose to power, and the earliest Roman atrium was a practical room rather than a grand hall. In a traditional Roman house, the atrium was the central room just inside the front door, open to the sky through a rectangular hole in the roof, which let smoke escape from the hearth and rain collect in a shallow basin below. Visitors waited there, clients greeted their patrons, and the family gathered, so the room did the work of a reception area, a living room and a public stage all at once. Over time the word moved from that domestic room to large public and commercial spaces. English took it directly from Latin, and in modern use it refers to a tall, glass-roofed interior court, such as the lobby of a hotel or office block, which keeps the old idea of an open, light-filled space at the centre of a building.

Synonyms: courtyard, central hall