Dictionary.com
definitions

arrhythmia

[uh-rith -mee-uh, ey-rith -]
|

noun Pathology.

any disturbance in the rhythm of the heartbeat.

Nearby words

  1. arrhenius, svante august,
  2. arrhenius-madsen theory,
  3. arrhenoblastoma,
  4. arrhenotoky,
  5. arrhinia,
  6. arrhythmic,
  7. arrhythmogenic,
  8. arriaga,
  9. arricciato,
  10. arriccio
Also arhythmia.

Origin of arrhythmia

1885–90; < New Latin < Greek arrhythmía. See a-6, rhythm, -ia
Related formsarrhyth·mic [uh-rith -mik, ey-rith -] /əˈrɪð mɪk, eɪˈrɪð-/, ar·rhyth·mi·cal, adjectivear·rhyth·mi·cal·ly, adverb
Can be confusedarrhythmic eurhythmic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arrhythmic

  • His shot choices are haphazard and arrhythmic, always cutting against any recognizable beat.

    Trailer Park|The Daily Beast Video|October 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for arrhythmic

arrhythmia

noun

any variation from the normal rhythm in the heartbeat

Word Origin for arrhythmia

C19: New Latin, from Greek arrhuthmia, from a- 1 + rhuthmos rhythm
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for arrhythmic

arrhythmic

adj.

1853, "without rhythm," in relation to musical sensibility, Modern Latin, from Greek arrhythmos "irregular, unrhythmical, without measure," from a- "not" (see a- (3)) + rhythmos (see rhythm). Medical arrhythmia "irregularity of pulse" is attested from 1888, from Greek noun of action from arrhythmos. Related: Arrhythmically.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for arrhythmic

arrhythmic

[ə-rĭð′mĭk]

adj.

Lacking rhythm or regularity of rhythm.

arrhythmia

[ə-rĭð′mē-ə]

n.

An irregularity in the force or rhythm of the heartbeat.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for arrhythmic

arrhythmia

[ə-rĭð′mē-ə]

An abnormal rhythm of the heart, often detectable on an electrocardiogram. Electrical impulses in the heart normally originate in the sinoatrial node of the right atrium during diastole and are transmitted through the atrioventricular node to the ventricles, causing the muscle contraction that usually occurs during systole. However, abnormalities of electrical conduction during diastole or systole can result in various alterations of the heartbeat, such as changes in heart rate, skipped or irregular beats, and fibrillation of the heart muscle, which can be life threatening. These electrical disturbances can be caused by metabolic abnormalities, inadequate blood supply (as in coronary artery disease), drug effects, chronic disease, and other factors. Arrhythmias are sometimes treated with the implantation of a pacemaker.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.