Cardiacs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Anatomical structures related to the heart or inner workings of the heart itself in terms of its functions and activities
2. Pertaining to medical conditions or treatments involving the heart, especially in the context of cardiology
3. Describing elements or features directly associated with the heart's physiology or pathologies that may affect heart health

Etymology: "Cardiacs" is simply the plural of "cardiac", so it takes its story from the adjective. That story starts with the Greek "kardia", meaning "heart", which is the root that also gives us words like cardiology and the cardigan's name-sharing coincidence is only a sound-alike, so set that aside. The Greek adjective "kardiakos" meant "relating to the heart", and the Romans borrowed it as "cardiacus". The word passed into English through Middle French "cardiaque", which carried the same sense of something belonging to the heart. Its path into English is traced to French rather than to an older native stock, so English speakers picked it up as a learned medical term rather than a everyday one. Its meaning has stayed close to the anatomical sense of its Greek ancestor. The noun plural "cardiacs" was formed from the adjective and is used for medicines or conditions that act on the heart, but the core idea remains the same as it was in ancient Greek: anything connected with the heart.

Synonyms: heart-related, cardiac patients, heart cases, heart troubles, cardiology cases