Main Entry:

peri·car·di·um

Pronunciation:

\-ˈkär-dē-əm\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural peri·car·dia \-dē-ə\

Etymology:

Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Greek perikardion, neuter of perikardios around the heart, from peri- + kardia heart — more at heart

Date:

15th century

1 : the conical sac of serous membrane that encloses the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels of vertebrates 2 : a cavity or space that contains the heart of an invertebrate and in arthropods is a part of the hemocoel