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.
He went into cardiac arrest while at the hospital and required three rounds of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Women with mildly reduced cardiac function did not show the same excess risk.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
His inquest earlier this year heard that neither the coaches nor the 999 call handler recognised his irregular, shallow breathing was a sign of cardiac arrest.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Clinical trials are in the works; a major one aims to determine if metformin, now approved as a diabetes medication, can delay age-related diseases like cancer and dementia, and improve cardiac health.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
She has worked high-stress assignments in telemetry— monitoring cardiac patients—and in the intensive care unit.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
