Dictionary / heart
heart
- noun
- verb
- from Old English
A muscular organ that pumps blood through the body, traditionally thought to be the seat of emotion.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “heart” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- countableuncountableA muscular organ that pumps blood through the body, traditionally thought to be the seat of emotion.
- uncountableOne's feelings and emotions, especially considered as part of one's character.
She has a cold heart.
- countableuncountableThe seat of the affections or sensibilities, collectively or separately, as love, hate, joy, grief, courage, etc.; rarely, the seat of the understanding or will; usually in a good sense; personality.
a good, tender, loving, bad, hard, or selfish heart
- countableuncountableCompassion.
If she had any heart she'd forgive me.
- countableuncountableAffection
The chorus's singing won the hearts of the audience.
- countableuncountableDisposition
They didn't take the remarks in good heart.
- countableuncountableEmotional strength that allows one to continue in difficult situations; courage; spirit; a will to compete.
The team lost, but they showed a lot of heart.
- countableuncountableVigorous and efficient activity; power of fertile production; condition of the soil, whether good or bad.
- countablefigurativelyuncountableA wight or being.
[…] I would outstare the sternest eyes that look, / Outbrave the heart most daring on earth, / Pluck the young sucking cubs from the she-bear, / Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,[…]c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623,
- countableuncountableA conventional shape or symbol used to represent the heart, love, or emotion: ♥.
"Aw. Thank you." The Cherub kissed the air between them and sent a small cluster of tiny red hearts at her.1998, Pat Cadigan, Tea From an Empty Cup, page 106:
- countableuncountableA playing card of the suit hearts featuring one or more heart-shaped symbols.
- countableuncountableThe twenty-fourth Lenormand card.
- countablefigurativelyuncountableThe centre, essence, or core.
That is the heart of the matter
- The centre, essence, or core.countablefigurativelyuncountableThe main fraction or product of a distillation run.
Older & obsolete senses (2)
- archaiccountableuncountableA term of affectionate or kindly and familiar address.
- countableobsoleteuncountableMemory.
verb
- humorousinformaltransitiveTo be fond of. Often bracketed or abbreviated with a heart symbol.
We're but the sum of all our terrors until we heart the dove.2001 April 6, Michael Baldwin, “The Heart Has Its Reasons”, in Commonweal:
- transitiveTo mark a comment, post, reply, etc., with the heart symbol (❤).
She hearted my photos of the kids playing with the dogs.
- transitiveTo fill an interior with rubble, as a wall or a breakwater.
- intransitiveTo form a dense cluster of leaves, a heart, especially of lettuce or cabbage.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- obsoletetransitiveTo give heart to; to hearten; to encourage.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (10)
- nounthe locus of feelings and intuitions — also: bosom
- nounthe hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions move the blood through the body — also: pump, ticker
- nounthe courage to carry on — also: mettle, nerve, spunk
- nounan area that is approximately central within some larger region — also: center, centre, middle, eye
- nounthe choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience — also: kernel, substance, core, center, centre
- nounan inclination or tendency of a certain kind — also: spirit
- nouna plane figure with rounded sides curving inward at the top and intersecting at the bottom; conventionally used on playing cards and valentines
- nouna firm rather dry variety meat (usually beef or veal)
- nouna positive feeling of liking — also: affection, affectionateness, fondness, tenderness, warmness
- nouna playing card in the major suit that has one or more red hearts on it
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)heart
- Middle Englishharte
- Old Englishheorte “heart”
- Proto-West Germanic*hertā
- Proto-Germanic*hertô “heart”
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱḗr “heart”
PIE word
*ḱḗr
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd-
Proto-Indo-European *ḱérd
Proto-Germanic *hertô
Proto-West Germanic *hertā
Old English heorte
Middle English herte
English heart
From Middle English harte, heorrte, hert, herte, hierte, hirte, horte, huerte, hurte, from Old English heorte (“heart”), from Proto-West Germanic *hertā, from Proto-Germanic *hertô (“heart”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr (“heart”), from *ḱerd- (“heart”). Doublet of cardia; see also core.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots hert (“heart”), Yola hart, hearth (“heart”), North Frisian hart, härt (“heart”), Saterland Frisian Haat (“heart”), West Frisian hert (“heart”), Dutch hart (“heart”), West Flemish erte (“heart”), Low German Hart, Hiärt (“heart”), Luxembourgish Häerz (“heart”), German Hertz, Herz, Herze (“heart”), Alemannic German Härz (“heart”), Central Franconian Hatz, Hätz (“heart”), Cimbrian hèertze, hèrtz (“heart”), Mòcheno hèrz (“heart”), Vilamovian haoc (“heart”), Yiddish האַרץ (harts), הערץ (herts, “heart”), Danish hierte, hjerte, hjærte (“heart”), Elfdalian järta (“heart”), Faroese and Icelandic hjarta (“heart”), Jutish jaart (“heart”), Norwegian Bokmål hjerte (“heart”), Norwegian Nynorsk hjarta, hjarte, hjerta, hjerte (“heart”), Swedish hjärta (“heart”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐍉 (hairtō, “heart”); also Cornish kres (“centre, middle; waist”), Irish croí, croidhe (“heart; core; hub; sweetheart”), Manx cree (“heart”), Scottish Gaelic cridhe (“heart; courage; core; nucleus; sweetheart”), Welsh craidd (“centre, core, middle”), Latin cor (“heart”), Greek καρδιά (kardiá, “heart”), Albanian kërth (“askew”), Latgalian sirds (“heart”), Latvian sirde, sirds (“heart”), Lithuanian širdis (“heart”), Old Prussian seyr (“heart”), Belarusian сэ́рца (sérca, “heart”), Bulgarian сърце́ (sărcé, “heart; centre”), Czech and Slovak srdce (“heart”), Macedonian срце (srce, “heart”), Polish serce (“heart”), Russian се́рдце (sérdce, “heart”), Serbo-Croatian ср̏це, sȑce (“heart”), Slovene srce (“heart”), Ukrainian се́рце (sérce, “heart”), Armenian սիրտ (sirt, “heart”), Avestan 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 (zərəd, “heart”), Baluchi زرد (zird, “heart; conscience”), Central Kurdish زر (zir, “heart”), Persian دل (del / dil, “heart; stomach; mind; courage”), Gurani زێڵ (zēł, “heart”), Northern Kurdish dil (“heart”), Ossetian зӕрдӕ (zærdæ, “heart; soul”), Pashto زړه (zrë, “heart”), Talysh dıl (“heart”), Zazaki zerri (“heart”), Hittite 𒆠𒅕 (ker), 𒊮𒅕 (ŠÀ-er, “heart”), Luwian 𒍝𒀀𒅈𒍝 (UZUzārza), 𔖪𔖱𔖪 (zārza, “heart”), Ashkun židi (“heart”), Kamkata-viri j̈arë, zërë (“heart”), Prasuni zër (“heart”), Tocharian A kri (“will”), Tocharian B *käryā- (“heart”), Sanskrit हृद् (hṛd, “heart; soul; breast, chest”).
Most of the modern figurative senses (such as passion or compassion, spirit, inmost feelings, especially love, affection, and courage) were present in Old English. However, the meaning “center” dates from the early 14th century. The verb sense “to love” is from the 1977 I ❤ NY advertising campaign.
Notes on spelling
The spelling ⟨ear⟩ for /ɑː(ɹ)/ is paralleled by hearken and hearth, but is problematic since an Early Modern variant with /ɛːr/ can be posited for those words, but not heart. Perhaps it represents Middle Scots hart /hɛːrt/ (reflecting the Scots lengthening of /a/ before /r/ then a consonant, then the early actuation of the Great Vowel Shift in Scots) or a parallel development in Northern England. Alternatively, a back-spelling by speakers of dialects where preconsonantal /ɛːr/ was shortened early, allowing it to undergo the late Middle English lowering to /ar/ (reflected in forms such as larn "learn") is possible.
Derivatives — words built from “heart”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “heart” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “heart” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
heart n. [OE. harte, herte, heorte, AS. heorte; akin to OS. herta, OFies. hirte, D. hart, OHG. herza, G. herz, Icel. hjarta, Sw. hjerta, Goth. ha, Lith. szirdis, Russ. serdtse, Ir. cridhe, L. cor, Gr. kardi`a, kh^r. Accord, Discord, Cordial, 4th Core, Courage.]
- A hollow, muscular organ, which, by contracting rhythmically, keeps up the circulation of the blood.
- The seat of the affections or sensibilities, collectively or separately, as love, hate, joy, grief, courage, and the like; rarely, the seat of the understanding or will; -- usually in a good sense, when no epithet is expressed; the better or lovelier part of our nature; the spring of all our actions and purposes; the seat of moral life and character; the moral affections and character itself; the individual disposition and character; as, a good, tender, loving, bad, hard, or selfish heart.
- The nearest the middle or center; the part most hidden and within; the inmost or most essential part of any body or system; the source of life and motion in any organization; the chief or vital portion; the center of activity, or of energetic or efficient action; as, the heart of a country, of a tree, etc.
- Courage; courageous purpose; spirit.
heart v. t.
- To give heart to; to hearten; to encourage; to inspirit.
heart v. i.
- To form a compact center or heart; as, a hearting cabbage.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: One's feelings and emotions, especially considered as part of one's character.
She has a cold heart.
In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page 266:
nounMeaning: The seat of the affections or sensibilities, collectively or separately, as love, hate, joy, grief, courage, etc.; rarely, the seat of the understanding or will; usually in a good sense; personality.
a good, tender, loving, bad, hard, or selfish heart
Her heart was singing.
nounMeaning: Compassion.
If she had any heart she'd forgive me.
nounMeaning: Affection
The chorus's singing won the hearts of the audience.
Calm and deep peace in this wide air, These leaves that redden to the fall; And in my heart, if calm at all, If any calm, a calm despair: […]1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
nounMeaning: Disposition
They didn't take the remarks in good heart.
nounMeaning: Emotional strength that allows one to continue in difficult situations; courage; spirit; a will to compete.
The team lost, but they showed a lot of heart.
She put her whole heart into making a go of the business.
nounMeaning: the locus of feelings and intuitions
in your heart you know it is true
nounMeaning: the hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions move the blood through the body
he stood still, his heart thumping wildly
nounMeaning: the courage to carry on
you haven't got the heart for baseball
nounMeaning: an area that is approximately central within some larger region
they ran forward into the heart of the struggle
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
heart
/hɑːʔ/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
heart
/hɑːʔ/ · noun, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “heart” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“She has a cold heart.”
Circle the meaning used.
“a good, tender, loving, bad, hard, or selfish heart”
Circle the meaning used.
“If she had any heart she'd forgive me.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “heart” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — heart
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. One's feelings and emotions, especially considered as part of one's character.
Which meaning, sentence 2: B. The seat of the affections or sensibilities, collectively or separately, as love, hate, joy, grief, courage, etc.; rarely, the seat of the understanding or will; usually in a good sense; personality.
Which meaning, sentence 3: B. Compassion.
Origin: B. Old English (Old English heorte)
Journey: English heart ← Middle English harte ← Old English heorte ← Proto-West Germanic *hertā ← Proto-Germanic *hertô ← Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr
Some derivatives: antiheart, beefheart, beheart, blackheart, bleeding-heart, braveheart, cattleheart, chicken-heart
Original meaning: Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr — “heart”
Etymology: PIE word
Sources: Wiktionary “heart” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heart#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/heart