Dictionary
1heart
noun \ˈhärt\
: the organ in your chest that pumps blood through your veins and arteries
: the front part of your chest
: the heart thought of as the place where emotions are felt
Full Definition of HEART
1
a : a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood b : a structure in an invertebrate animal functionally analogous to the vertebrate heart c : breast, bosom d : something resembling a heart in shape; specifically : a stylized representation of a heart
2
a : a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a red heart b plural : the suit comprising cards marked with hearts c plural but sing or plural in constr : a game in which the object is to avoid taking tricks containing hearts
3
a : personality, disposition <a cold heart> b obsolete : intellect
4
: the emotional or moral as distinguished from the intellectual nature: as a : generous disposition : compassion <a leader with heart> b : love, affection <won her heart> c : courage, ardor <never lost heart>
5
: one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations <knew it in his heart> <a man after my own heart>
6
a : the central or innermost part : center b : the essential or most vital part of something c : the younger central compact part of a leafy rosette (as a head of lettuce)
— at heart
: in essence : basically, essentially
— by heart
: by rote or from memory
— to heart
: with deep concern
See heart defined for English-language learners
See heart defined for kids
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Illustration of HEART
Origin of HEART
Middle English hert, from Old English heorte; akin to Old High German herza heart, Latin cord-, cor, Greek kardia
First Known Use: before 12th century
Related to HEART
Other Anatomy Terms
2heart
verb
Definition of HEART
transitive verb
1
archaic : hearten
2
archaic : to fix in the heart
First Known Use of HEART
before 12th century
HEARTS Defined for Kids
heart
noun \ˈhärt\
Definition of HEART for Kids
1
: a hollow muscular organ of the body that expands and contracts to move blood through the arteries and veins
2
: something shaped like a heart <a Valentine's heart>
3
: a part near the center or deep into the interior <They reached the heart of the desert.>
4
: the most essential part <That's the heart of the problem.>
5
: human feelings <Speak from your heart.>
6
: courage or enthusiasm <I don't have the heart to tell them what happened.>
— by heart
: so as to be able to repeat from memory <I think I'm going to learn his new phone number by heart. — Paula Danziger, Amber Brown>
Medical Dictionary
heart
noun \ˈhärt\
Medical Definition of HEART
1
: a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood and that in the human adult is about five inches (13 centimeters) long and three and one half inches (9 centimeters) broad, is of conical form, is placed obliquely in the chest with the broad end upward and to the right and the apex opposite the interval between the cartilages of the fifth and sixth ribs on the left side, is enclosed in a serous pericardium, and consists as in other mammals and in birds of four chambers divided into an upper pair of rather thin-walled atria which receive blood from the veins and a lower pair of thick-walled ventricles into which the blood is forced and which in turn pump it into the arteries
2
: a structure in an invertebrate animal functionally analogous to the vertebrate heart
Illustration of HEART
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