\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, or one of the two posterior chambers, of the
   heart, which receives the blood from the auricle and
   forces it out from the heart. See {Heart}.
Note: The principal ventricles of the brain are the fourth in
      the medulla, the third in the midbrain, the first and
      second, or lateral, ventricles in the cerebral
      hemispheres, all of which are connected with each
      other, and the fifth, or pseudoc[oe]le, situated
      between the hemispheres, in front of, or above, the
      fornix, and entirely disconnected with the other
      cavities. See {Brain}, and {C[oe]lia}.
2. The stomach. [Obs.]
         Whether I will or not, while I live, my heart beats,
         and my ventricle digests what is in it. --Sir M.
                                               Hale.
3. Fig.: Any cavity, or hollow place, in which any function
   may be conceived of as operating.
         These [ideas] are begot on the ventricle of memory.
                                               --Shak.