Main Entry: peri·car·di·um

Pronunciation: \ˌper-ə-ˈkärd-ē-əm\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural peri·car·dia \-ē-ə\

: the conical sac of serous membrane that encloses the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels of vertebrates and consists of an outer fibrous coat that loosely invests the heart and is prolonged on the outer surface of the great vessels except the inferior vena cava and a double inner serous coat of which one layer is closely adherent to the heart while the other lines the inner surface of the outer coat with the intervening space being filled with pericardial fluid