ventricle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   either of the two lower chambers of the heart, which receive blood from an atrium and pump it into an artery

   The left ventricle pumps oxygen-rich blood into the aorta.

2. 2
   noun

   one of the connected fluid-filled cavities in the brain through which cerebrospinal fluid circulates

   The posterior horn extends backward from the lateral ventricle.

3. 3
   noun

   a small cavity or chamber within an organ or other anatomical structure

   The laryngeal ventricle forms a narrow recess between folds of tissue.

From Middle English and Latin ventriculus ("small belly, cavity"), the diminutive of venter ("belly"). Anatomy applied the little-cavity image to chambers of the heart, brain, and other organs.

Topics