cardiomyopathy

American

[kahr-dee-oh-mahy-op-uh-thee] / ˌkɑr di oʊ maɪˈɒp ə θi /

noun

Pathology.

any disease of the heart muscle, leading to decreased function: usually of unknown cause.

cardiomyopathy British

/ ˌkɑːdɪəʊmaɪˈɒpəθɪ /

noun

pathol a disease of the heart muscle usually caused by a biochemical defect or a toxin such as alcohol

"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

cardiomyopathy Scientific

/ kär′dē-ō-mī-ŏp′ə-thē /

Any of various structural or functional abnormalities of the cardiac muscle, usually characterized by loss of muscle efficiency and sometimes heart failure. Cardiomyopathy can result from numerous causes, including congenital defects, acute or chronic infections, coronary artery disease, drugs and toxins, metabolic disorders, connective tissue disorders, or nutritional deficiencies. In some patients, the cause is unknown.

Etymology

Origin of cardiomyopathy

First recorded in 1960–65; cardio- + myopathy

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:

cardiomyopathy

In dilated cardiomyopathy, the muscle walls of the heart become stretched and thin, so they cannot pump blood around the body properly, according to the NHS.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

AstraZeneca expects to release data from a transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy late-stage study for Wainua—which is already approved in the U.S. for a related disease—in the second half of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

He said his father "persevered through pain" following the death of Daniel, who collapsed and died suddenly when he was 15 from the genetic heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026

In 1992, his son Daniel died aged 15 from the genetic heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while playing football at home with Yorath.

From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026

Hers is “To become the premier physician-scientist working in the realm of gender-based medicine and, specifically, takotsubo cardiomyopathy as it affects women.”

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023