What does "pericardium" mean?

A serous membrane that surrounds the heart allowing it to contract.

What is a synonym for "pericardium"?

Common synonyms include: amnion, eardrum, heart sac, heart sac, hymen, maidenhead.

Pronounced //ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm//.

//ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A serous membrane that surrounds the heart allowing it to contract.
"The Pericardium is sometimes swelled, as overcharged with too great a quantity of Serous Liquor, making a kind of Dropsie […]"
2
a serous membrane with two layers that surrounds the heart wordnet

"The Pericardium is sometimes swelled, as overcharged with too great a quantity of Serous Liquor, making a kind of Dropsie […]"

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek περικάρδιον (perikárdion).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.