cardia

¹

[ kahr-dee-uh ]

noun

, Anatomy.

, plural car·di·ae [kahr, -dee-ee], car·di·as.

1. an opening that connects the esophagus and the upper part of the stomach.

-cardia

²

1. a combining form occurring in compounds that denote an anomalous or undesirable action or position of the heart, as specified by the initial element:

   dextrocardia; tachycardia.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cardia¹

1775–85; < New Latin < Greek kardía a medical term for this opening, literally, heart; perhaps so called because the opening is on the same side of the body as the heart

Origin of cardia²

Perhaps originally representing Greek kardía heart, though coincidence with the abstract noun suffix -ia has influenced sense

Example Sentences

Alexander Cardia is a designer, animator and graphics editor with the Visual Investigations team at The Times.

From New York Times

Alexander Cardia is a designer, animator and graphics editor with the Visual Investigations team at The Times.

From New York Times

Alexander Cardia is a designer, animator and graphics editor with the Visual Investigations team at The Times.

From New York Times

Alexander Cardia is a designer, animator and graphics editor with the Visual Investigations team at The Times.

From New York Times

Alexander Cardia is a designer, animator and graphics editor with the Visual Investigations team at The Times.

From New York Times

Words That Use -cardia

What does -cardia mean?

The combining form -cardia is used like a suffix to mean “abnormal heart condition.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in pathology.

The form -cardium ultimately comes from Greek kardíā, meaning “heart.” The Latin cognate, cor, “heart,” is the source of words such as cordial, courage, and discord. To learn more, check out our entries for each word.

What are variants of -cardia?

While -cardia doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the form -cardium, as in myocardium. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for -cardium.

Also closely related to -cardia and -cardium are cardio- and cardi-, combined to beginning of words like a prefix and meaning “heart.” Read our Words That Use articles on these forms to learn more.

Examples of -cardia

One example of a medical term that features the form -cardia is bradycardia, or brachycardia, meaning “a slow heartbeat rate, usually less than 60 beats per minute.”

The form brady- means “slow,” from Greek bradýs. The combining form -cardia means “abnormal heart condition.” Bradycardia literally translates to “abnormally slow heart condition.”

What are some words that use the combining form -cardia?

• acardia
• ectocardia
• exocardia
• megalocardia
• tachycardia

What are some other forms that -cardia may be commonly confused with?

• -carpous
• -cracy
• -crat

Break it down!

The combining form tachy- means “swift” or “rapid.” With this in mind, what is the medical condition tachycardia?