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 cardio¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Origin of cardio²

< Greek kardio-, combining form of kardía

Word History and Origins

Origin of cardio¹

from Greek kardia heart

Example Sentences

It builds muscle strength and bone density and is good for cardio metabolic health, especially for women.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ll skate as fast as I can to get a cardio workout in.

From Los Angeles Times

“I know what it’s like when you’re a bench player, I know what it’s like when you’re a starter. I know what it’s like when you don’t play a lot of minutes and have to do cardio afterwards. I know what it’s like to be the person everyone’s looking at.”

From Los Angeles Times

Turns out he sweats only when he does cardio, he told Variety, not when he lifts weights.

From Los Angeles Times

Running, cycling, or swimming -- if you regularly exercise, you're well on track for a long and healthy life, as groundbreaking new research from the University of South Australia finds that an increased cardio fitness level will reduce your risk of death from any cause by 11-17%.

From Science Daily