cardio

¹ American  

[kahr-dee-oh] / ˈkɑr di oʊ /

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.

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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 American  

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

   cardiogram.

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cardio- British  

combining form

1. heart

   cardiogram

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of cardio¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Origin of cardio-¹

< Greek kardio-, combining form of kardía

Example Sentences

The company serves the cardiac rhythm management, neuromodulation, and cardio and vascular markets.

From The Wall Street Journal

I feel like an elephant is using me as a stepstool to get some cardio in.

From Literature

He slows quickly, though, as if it’s been millennia since he’s done any cardio.

From Literature

"I keep going back and forth to see who wins. I think it depends on how Islam looks at 170lb. If he comes out and heavy wrestles then I probably edge Islam. I feel like we'll know from the first round how the fight will go. JDM does get taken down, but he's great at getting back to his feet. Islam has shown cardio issues. I'm 50/50."

From BBC

Benn failed to use his speed and cardio to overwhelm Eubank and will be eager to rectify that.

From BBC