noun
- Zoology. any of various hollow organs or parts in an animal body.
- Anatomy.
- 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.
- one of a series of connecting cavities of the brain.
noun anatomy
- a chamber of the heart, having thick muscular walls, that receives blood from the atrium and pumps it to the arteries
- any one of the four main cavities of the vertebrate brain, which contain cerebrospinal fluid
- any of various other small cavities in the body
late 14c., from Latin ventriculus “stomach,” diminutive of venter (genitive ventris) “belly” (see ventral).
n.
- A small cavity or chamber within a body or organ, especially the right or left ventricle of the heart or any of the interconnecting ventricles of the brain.
- A chamber of the heart that receives blood from one or more atria and pumps it by muscular contraction into the arteries. Mammals, birds, and reptiles have two ventricles; amphibians and fish have one.
- Any of four fluid-filled cavities in the brain of vertebrate animals. The ventricles are filled with cerebrospinal fluid.