Central courts (5)
I believe the answer is:
atria
'central courts' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for atria that I've seen before include "Open courts of Roman houses" , "Covered courts" , "Open-roofed entrance halls (Roman) - glass-roofed central halls (modern)" , "Parts of the heart or of Roman houses" , "Apartments" .)