cardio

¹

[kahr-dee-oh]

noun

Informal.

1. aerobic exercise that stimulates and strengthens the heart and lungs.

   I mostly use weights, but I always add a little cardio into my routine.

adjective

Informal.

1. of or relating to aerobic exercise.

   The class begins with a slow and steady warmup, and then it switches to a cardio workout.

2. of or relating to the heart; cardiovascular.

   He's a hugely successful cardio surgeon.

cardio-

²

1. a combining form meaning “heart,” used in the formation of compound words.

   cardiogram.

cardio-

combining form

1. heart

   cardiogram

Word History and Origins

Origin of cardio-¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Origin of cardio-²

< Greek kardio-, combining form of kardía

Word History and Origins

Origin of cardio-¹

from Greek kardia heart

Example Sentences

You can do this with easy cardio like walking, swimming or biking.

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While vests add resistance to cardio, they don’t replace focused strength-training like dumbbell or body-weight exercises, Fielding says.

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There have been high-intensity sessions on a vertical cardio climber - a full-body workout gizmo which developers say is "one of the most effective and efficient ways of burning fat and calories".

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To prepare for the climb, Colton and her guides have focused on heavy cardio training.

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Now he’s 262 pounds after he stopped eating chips and used better cardio techniques to drop weight.

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When To Use

What does cardio- mean?

Cardio- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “heart.” It is used in many medical and scientific terms.Cardio- comes from the Greek kardía, meaning “heart.” In fact, the English word heart and the Greek kardía are related. Learn more at our entry for heart.What are variants of cardio-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, cardio- becomes cardi-, as in cardiectomy.