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

Words That Use cardio-

What does cardio- mean?

Cardio- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “heart.” It is used in many medical and scientific terms.

Cardio- comes from the Greek kardía, meaning “heart.” In fact, the English word heart and the Greek kardía are related. Learn more at our entry for heart.

What are variants of cardio-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, cardio- becomes cardi-, as in cardiectomy.

Examples of cardio- 

You may recognize the combining form cardio- from the word cardiogram, which is a recording of the activity of the heart. A cardiogram is also known as an electrocardiogram (EKG), and is used to diagnose heart conditions.

We now know that cardio- means “heart.” The second part of the word, -gram, refers to “something written, recorded, or drawn.” So, a cardiogram has the literal sense of a “heart recording.”

You probably also recognize the word cardio as its own word, short for cardiovascular exercise, such as running. Cardiovascular means “of, relating to, or affecting the heart and blood vessels,” and combines cardio- and vascular. Cardio gets the heart rate up and the blood moving.

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

• cardioactive
• cardioarterial
• cardiocele
• cardiodynia
• cardiograph
• cardiohepatic
• cardiolith
• cardiolipin
• cardiomuscular
• cardiopathy
• cardionephric
• cardiotomy
• cardiotonic
• cardiorespiratory
• cardiospasm

Break it down!

Based on the meaning of cardio-, a cardiologist specializes in what part of the body?