cardiac
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the heart.
cardiac disease.
-
of or relating to the esophageal portion of the stomach.
noun
-
cardiacs
plural
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Medicine/Medical. a cardiac remedy.
-
a person with heart disease.
adjective
-
of or relating to the heart
-
of or relating to the portion of the stomach connected to the oesophagus
noun
-
a person with a heart disorder
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obsolete a drug that stimulates the heart muscle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Macs Green, a previously "completely healthy baby" suffered two cardiac arrests and was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy - which can lead to heart failure.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
The coroner's office in Greenville, South Carolina said crews treated a woman in "cardiac arrest" and her autopsy showed "no signs of trauma".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
When emergency responders in Greenville, S.C., found Panettiere in an apartment on Sunday, she was unresponsive and in cardiac arrest.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
According to her father, Charles Dunn, Knowings died Tuesday in Long Beach after she suffered a severe asthma attack on Aug. 7 and went into cardiac arrest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
And because he was in Midtown Manhattan, there were major medical centers nearby, all licensed to do the latest in emergency cardiac care.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
For their million dollars, New York cardiacs and taxpayers will have the largest pump house in the world.
From Time Magazine Archive
And industry must learn that cardiacs do as well at their jobs as other workers ...
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
