coronary

American  

[kawr-uh-ner-ee, kor-] / ˈkɔr əˌnɛr i, ˈkɒr- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the human heart, with respect to health.

2. Medicine/Medical.

   1. pertaining to the arteries that supply the heart tissues and originate in the root of the aorta.

   2. encircling like a crown, as certain blood vessels.

3. of or like a crown.

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noun

plural

coronaries

1. Pathology. a heart attack, especially a coronary thrombosis.

2. a coronary artery.

coronary British  

/ ˈkɒrənərɪ /

adjective

1. anatomy designating blood vessels, nerves, ligaments, etc, that encircle a part or structure

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noun

1. short for coronary thrombosis

coronary Scientific  

/ kôr′ə-nĕr′ē /

1. Relating to or involving the heart.

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coronary Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for the heart or the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.

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Discover More

The word coronary is often used by itself in an informal sense to refer to a heart attack or coronary thrombosis.

Other Word Forms

• postcoronary adjective

Etymology

Origin of coronary

1600–10; < Latin corōnārius, equivalent to corōn ( a ) crown + -ārius -ary; in reference to the heart, extended from coronary artery, coronary vein, etc.

Explanation

In medical terminology, coronary refers to the protective ring of blood vessels surrounding the heart and supplying it with oxygen and other nutrients. Coronary is generally used as a short term for coronary thrombosis, in other words a heart attack. Thrombosis is the act of those vessels clogging up. So cut back on the French fries and hit that exercise bike. The term coronary comes from the Latin word corona for crown, meaning king. In medieval times it was the duty of the curuner to protect the local interests of the crown, and so the term coronary was later developed by doctors to describe the way the blood vessels around the heart protected it.

Example Sentences

Increasingly, people are also opting for a coronary artery calcium scan, or CAC, writes Sumathi Reddy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

“One of the reasons why clinicians use this is because there is data that shows when there are coronary calcifications patients are more likely to take medications and to adopt other preventive therapies,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

For instance, the NHS has not invested in CT coronary angiogram machines, which allow clinicians to scan hearts to check if they are diseased.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Compared with the lowest group, those in the highest group had a 67% greater risk of dying from coronary heart disease or stroke, or experiencing non-fatal heart attacks, strokes or resuscitated cardiac arrest.

From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026

The question is answered when hate notes and truck-loads of pansies are delivered to my training camp, the little sanctuary where I skip rope while listening to taped lectures on coronary collateralization and threadworm infection.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• cardiovascular disease
• congestive heart failure