Chamber

Chamber is a term that denotes an enclosed space, particularly a room in a building, but it can also refer to any spacious cavity within an object. The word derives from Old French chambre, and ultimately from Latin camera meaning vault or vaulted space.

In architecture and housing, chambers range from bedrooms (bedchambers) to private or council chambers used for meetings. The term also appears in phrases such as chamber of commerce, reflecting a space reserved for a particular function or group.

In government and law, a chamber is one of the divisions of a legislative body. Many countries operate a bicameral system with two chambers, such as an upper and a lower house, while some countries have a unicameral legislature with a single chamber. The use of the term is common in parliamentary contexts, including phrases like the senate, the house, or the chamber of deputies.

In anatomy, a chamber refers to a hollow space within an organ. The human heart has four chambers: two atria and two ventricles. Chambers also occur in other biological contexts, where they denote cavities within organs, vessels, or segments of structures.

In science and technology, chamber describes a component designed to contain or accommodate something. In firearms, the chamber is the portion of the barrel where a cartridge is placed before firing. In geology and mining, natural chambers form cavities in rock or sediment, such as cave chambers or man-made mining chambers.