angina

American  

[an-jahy-nuh, an-juh-nuh] / ænˈdʒaɪ nə, ˈæn dʒə nə /

noun

Pathology.

1. any attack of painful spasms characterized by sensations of choking or suffocating.

2. angina pectoris.

3. any disease of the throat or fauces.

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angina British  

/ -nəʊz, ænˈdʒaɪnə, ænˈdʒaɪnəʊs /

noun

1. any disease marked by painful attacks of spasmodic choking, such as Vincent's angina and quinsy

2. Also called: angina pectoris.  a sudden intense pain in the chest, often accompanied by feelings of suffocation, caused by momentary lack of adequate blood supply to the heart muscle

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Other Word Forms

• anginal adjective
• anginose adjective

Etymology

Origin of angina

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin: “quinsy,” from ancina (unrecorded), from Greek anchónē, “strangulation, hanging,” influenced by Latin ang(ere) “to throttle” ( see anxious)

Example Sentences

But, even for seasoned investors, the rules around donating crypto can still be confusing — and a few small mistakes can cost cause angina at tax time.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 5, 2025

Drugs like Viagra were originally designed to treat high blood pressure and angina.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2024

The best of these was perhexiline maleate, an older drug used to treat the heart condition called angina.

From Science Daily • Dec. 27, 2023

Doctors had been prescribing nitroglycerin for angina and other heart ailments for over a century — including, coincidentally, to Alfred Nobel, who founded the Nobel Prizes.

From New York Times • Sep. 6, 2023

All you need is the evidence of the ECG, blood pressure, fluid in the lungs, and unstable angina.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• congestive heart failure