cardiac
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the heart.
cardiac disease.
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of or relating to the esophageal portion of the stomach.
noun
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Medicine/Medical. a cardiac remedy.
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a person with heart disease.
adjective
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of or relating to the heart
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of or relating to the portion of the stomach connected to the oesophagus
noun
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a person with a heart disorder
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obsolete a drug that stimulates the heart muscle
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cardiac
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English or directly from Middle French cardiaque, from Latin cardiacus, from Greek kardiakós, equivalent to kardí(a) heart + -akos -ac
Explanation
Cardiac describes anything that's connected or related to the heart. During a cardiac exam, a doctor listens to your heartbeat and takes your pulse. The adjective cardiac is most often used in a medical context: a doctor who operates on people's hearts is a cardiac surgeon, and an irregular heart beat is called "cardiac arrhythmia." It's common for both medical and non-medical people to call a heart attack "cardiac arrest." The word comes from the French cardiaque, which is rooted in the Greek kardiakos, "pertaining to the heart," from kardia, "heart."
Vocabulary lists containing cardiac
Body Language: Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cardiac medical technicians assist physicians in diagnosing and treating blood-vessel diseases, and the field has seen a significant boost in job postings over the past three years.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
Cardiac activity may not emerge when it should.
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2025
One episode of 1990s BBC series Cardiac Arrest opens in a hectic triaging unit.
From BBC • May 15, 2025
“It’s exciting watching the screen and knowing the engines”—the hearts powering the cyclists forward, says La Gerche, who works at the St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.
From Science Magazine • May 14, 2024
Cardiac, k�r′di-ak, adj. belonging to the heart: cordial, reviving—also Cardiac′al.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
