ventricle

ventricle
/ven"tri keuhl/, n.
1. Zool. any of various hollow organs or parts in an animal body.
2. Anat.
a. either of the two lower chambers on each side of the heart that receive blood from the atria and in turn force it into the arteries. See diag. under heart.
b. one of a series of connecting cavities of the brain.
[1350-1400; ME < L ventriculus belly, ventricle. See VENTER, -I-, -CLE1]

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▪ heart
      muscular chamber that pumps blood out of the heart and into the circulatory system. Ventricles occur among some invertebrates. Among vertebrates, fishes and amphibians generally have a single ventricle, while reptiles, birds, and mammals have two.

      In humans, the ventricles are the two lower chambers of the heart. The walls of the chambers, and particularly the walls of the left ventricle, are far more heavily muscled than the walls of the atria, or upper chambers (see atrium), because it is in the ventricles that the major force is exerted in the process of pumping the blood to the bodily tissues and to the lungs. Each opening leading into or away from the ventricles is guarded by a valve. These openings are the following: those from the two upper chambers; the opening from the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery, which transports blood to the lungs; and the opening from the left ventricle into the aorta, the main trunk by which oxygen-rich blood starts its course to the tissues. The interior surfaces of the ventricles are ridged with bundles and bands of muscle, called trabeculae carneae. The papillary muscles project like nipples into the cavities of the ventricles. They are attached by fine strands of tendon to the valves between the atria and ventricles and prevent the valves from opening when the ventricles contract. See also heart.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ventricle — Ven tri*cle, n. [L. ventriculus the stomach, a ventricle, dim. of venter the belly: cf. F. ventricule. See {Ventral}.] 1. (Anat.) A cavity, or one of the cavities, of an organ, as of the larynx or the brain; specifically, the posterior chamber,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ventricle — may refer to:* Ventricle (heart), the pumping chambers of the heart * Ventricular system in the brain * Ventricle of the larynx, a structure in the larynx …   Wikipedia

  • ventricle — [ven′tri kəl] n. [ME < L ventriculus, stomach, ventricle, dim. of venter: see VENTRAL] Anat. Zool. any of various cavities or hollow organs; specif., a) either of the two lower chambers of the heart which receive blood from the atria and pump… …   English World dictionary

  • ventricle — late 14c., from L. ventriculus stomach, dim. of venter (gen. ventris) belly (see VENTRAL (Cf. ventral)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • ventricle — ► NOUN Anatomy 1) each of the two larger and lower cavities of the heart. 2) each of four connected fluid filled cavities in the centre of the brain. DERIVATIVES ventricular adjective. ORIGIN Latin ventriculus, from venter belly …   English terms dictionary

  • Ventricle — A ventricle is a chamber of an organ. For example, the four connected cavities (hollow spaces) in the central portion of the brain and the lower two chambers of the heart are called ventricles. * * * A normal cavity, as of the brain or heart. SYN …   Medical dictionary

  • ventricle — 1) a heart chamber collecting blood from the atrium and delivering it to the conus arteriosus and mediating the second, major component of the heart beat. The ventricle is a thick and muscular chamber with a small opening into the bulbus… …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • ventricle — n. 1) either of the two lower chambers of the heart, which have thick muscular walls. The left ventricle, which is thicker than the right, receives blood from the pulmonary vein via the left atrium and pumps it into the aorta. The right ventricle …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • ventricle — noun /ˈvɛntrɪkəl/ a) One of two lower chambers of the heart.<!Encyclopedic info: In higher vertebrates, the left ventricle receives arterial blood from the left atrium and pumps it into the aorta, and the right ventricle receives venous blood… …   Wiktionary

  • ventricle — UK [ˈventrɪk(ə)l] / US noun [countable] Word forms ventricle : singular ventricle plural ventricles medical one of the two lower parts of your heart that moves blood to the rest of your body …   English dictionary

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