heart
The definition of heart is the organ that controls the flow of blood in the body, or the center of human emotion.
(noun)- An example of heart is the organ found in the chest cavity of humans.
- An example of heart is what you listen to when you make a decision based out of love.
To heart something is defined as to love it.
(verb)An example of to heart is to care about a person named John and say “I heart John.”
See heart in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- the hollow, muscular organ in a vertebrate animal that receives blood from the veins and pumps it through the arteries by alternate dilation and contraction
- an analogous part in most invertebrate animals
- the part of the human body thought of as containing the heart; breast; bosom
- any place or part like a heart, in that it is near the center; specif.,
- the central core of a plant or vegetable: hearts of celery
- the center or innermost part of a place or region: the heart of a city
- the central, vital, or main part; real meaning; essence; core
- the human heart considered as the center or source of emotions, personality attributes, etc.; specif.,
- inmost thought and feeling; consciousness or conscience: to know in one's heart
- the source of emotions
- one's emotional nature; disposition: to have a kind heart
- any of various humane feelings; love, devotion, sympathy, etc.
- mood; feeling: to have a heavy heart
- spirit, resolution, or courage: to lose heart
- a person, usually one loved or admired in some specified way: he is a valiant heart
- something like a heart in shape; conventionalized design or representation of a heart, shaped like this: ♥
- any of a suit of playing cards marked with such figures in red
- this suit of cards
- ☆ a card game in which the object is either to avoid winning any hearts or the queen of spades, or to win all the hearts and the queen of spades
Origin: ME herte < OE heorte, akin to Ger herz < IE base *erd-, ṙd-, heart > L cor, (gen. cordis), Gr kardia, OIr cride, Serb sr̈ce
transitive verb
See heart in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- Anatomy a. The chambered muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood received from the veins into the arteries, thereby maintaining the flow of blood through the entire circulatory system.b. A similarly functioning structure in invertebrates.
- The area that is the approximate location of the heart in the body; the breast.
- a. The vital center and source of one's being, emotions, and sensibilities.b. The repository of one's deepest and sincerest feelings and beliefs: an appeal from the heart; a subject dear to her heart.c. The seat of the intellect or imagination: the worst atrocities the human heart could devise.
- a. Emotional constitution, basic disposition, or character: a man after my own heart.b. One's prevailing mood or current inclination: We were light of heart.
- a. Capacity for sympathy or generosity; compassion: a leader who seems to have no heart.b. Love; affection: The child won my heart.
- a. Courage; resolution; fortitude: The soldiers lost heart and retreated.b. The firmness of will or the callousness required to carry out an unpleasant task or responsibility: hadn't the heart to send them away without food.
- A person esteemed or admired as lovable, loyal, or courageous: a dear heart.
- a. The central or innermost physical part of a place or region: the heart of the financial district. See Synonyms at center.b. The core of a plant, fruit, or vegetable: hearts of palm.
- The most important or essential part: get to the heart of the matter.
- A conventional two-lobed representation of the heart, usually colored red or pink.
- Games a. A red, heart-shaped figure on certain playing cards.b. A playing card with this figure.c. hearts (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The suit of cards represented by this figure.d. A card game in which the object is either to avoid hearts when taking tricks or to take all the hearts.
Archaic
Origin:
Origin: Middle English hert
Origin: , from Old English heorte; see kerd- in Indo-European roots
.
(click for a larger image)
heart
A. superior vena cava B. pulmonary artery C. left atrium D. left ventricle E. right ventricle F. inferior vena cava G. right atrium H. aortaSee heart in Ologies
Heart
See also anatomy; body, human.
anginophobia
an abnormal fear of angina pectoris.
any abnormality in the rhythm of the heartbeat. —arrhythmic, arhythmic, arythmic, arrythmic, adj.
a burning or other painful feeling in the stomach or esophagus; heartburn.
cardioangiology
Medicine. the specialty that treats the heart and the blood vessels.
Medicine. the surgical puncture or incision of the heart. Also called cardiopuncture.
the branch of medical science that studies the forces and motions involved in the heart’s actions.
Medicine. a pain in the heart.
cardiogenesis
Medical Science, the study of the development of the heart in the embryo.
an instrument to record the action of the heart. —cardiographer, n. —cardiographic, adj.
Medicine. the technique of graphically recording some physical or functional features of heart action.
an agent that stimulates action of the heart.
Medicine. the study of the heart and its functions. —cardiologist, n. —cardiologic, cardiological, adj.
Medicine. a disease causing a softening of the muscle of the heart.
Medicine. an abnormal enlargement of the heart.
Medicine. a general term designating the early stages of diseases of heart muscles.
cardiopaludism
Medicine. a heart disease caused by malaria and marked by increases in heart rhythm and doubled beating.
any disease or disorder of the heart. —cardiopath, n. —cardiopathic, adj.
an abnormal fear of heart disease.
cardiopuncture
cardiocentesis.
Medicine. the restoration of proper heart rhythm by electrical shock.
an inflamed condition of the heart.
crotism
the condition of having a single (monocrotism), double (dicrotism), etc., heartbeat.
the rhythmic dilatation of the heart during which the muscle relaxes and the chambers fill with blood. Cf. systole. —diastolic, adj.
the condition of having a doublé heartbeat. —dicrotic, adj.
an inflamed condition of the endocardium, the membrane that lines heart chambers.
an even pulsebeat. —eurhythmic, adj.
the uncontrolled twitching of the muscular fibrils, especially of the cardiac muscles.
a condition in which a localized area of muscular tissue is dying or dead owing to insufficient supply of blood, as occurs in a heart attack.
the condition of having a single heartbeat. —monocrotic, adj.
an inflamed condition of the muscular walls of the heart.
1. rapid and irregular beating of the heart.
2. a trembling of the body, as from fear or anxiety.
an inflamed condition of the pericardium, the membrane that surrounds the heart.
the rhythmic contraction of the heart, and especially of the ventricles, following each dilatation. Cf. diastole. —systolic, adj.
abnormally rapid beating of the heart.
the condition of having three arterial beats for every one heartbeat, as in certain pulses. —tricrotic, adj.
inflammation of a cardiac valve, usually caused by syphilis or rheumatic fever.
Learn more about heart
