Word definition: heart

Etimology


From Middle English herte, from Old English heorte (“heart”), from Proto-West Germanic *hertā, from Proto-Germanic *hertô (“heart”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱérd (“heart”). Doublet of cardia. 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.

noun


heart (countable and uncountable, plural hearts)

(anatomy) A muscular organ that pumps blood through the body, traditionally thought to be the seat of emotion.

(uncountable) One's feelings and emotions, especially considered as part of one's character.

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.

Emotional strength that allows one to continue in difficult situations; courage; spirit; a will to compete.

Vigorous and efficient activity; power of fertile production; condition of the soil, whether good or bad.

(archaic) A term of affectionate or kindly and familiar address.

(obsolete, except in the phrase "by heart") Memory.

(figurative) A wight or being.

A conventional shape or symbol used to represent the heart, love, or emotion: ♥.

(card games) A playing card of the suit hearts featuring one or more heart-shaped symbols.

(cartomancy) The twenty-fourth Lenormand card.

(figurative) The centre, essence, or core.

Examples


[…] I did almoſt beleeve, that the motion of the Heart vvas knovvn to God alone: […]

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.

Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

"Do what the heart commands," Tothero says. "The heart is our only guide."

a good, tender, loving, bad, hard, or selfish heart

Upon his browes was pourtraid vgly death, / And in his eies the furies of his heart, / That ſhine as Comets, menacing reueng, / And caſts a pale complexion on his cheeks.

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: […]

The team lost, but they showed a lot of heart.

Synonyms: bravery, nerve, spirit; see also Thesaurus:courage

Eve, recovering heart, replied.

The expelled nations take heart, and when they fled from one country, invaded another.

"We provided a lot of brains and a lot of heart to the response when it was needed," says Sandra Sanchez, director of AFSC's Immigrants' Voice Program in Des Moines.

The result still leaves Wales bottom of the group but in better heart for Tuesday night's trip to face England at Wembley, who are now outright leaders after their 3-0 win in Bulgaria.

The heart from the home team was immense. Some of them were out on their feet before the end, but they dug in, throwing themselves in front of shots and crosses, surviving.

Both theſe unhappy Soils the Swain forbears, / And keeps a Sabbath of alternate Years: / That the ſpent Earth may gather heart again; / And, better'd by Ceſſation, bear the Grain.

Synonyms: honey, sugar; see also Thesaurus:sweetheart

Listen, dear heart, we must go now.

My King, my Jove, I speak to thee, my heart!

Awake, dear heart, awake. Thou hast slept well./Awake.

Certain unscrupulous men may call upon you here in your dressing-room. They will lavish you with flowers, with compliments, with phials of Hungary water and methuselahs of the costliest champagne. You must be wary of such men, my hearts, they are not to be trusted.

I know almost every Beatles song by heart.

[…] 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, […]

"Aw. Thank you." The Cherub kissed the air between them and sent a small cluster of tiny red hearts at her.

at the heart of it all

Synonyms: crux, gist; see also Thesaurus:gist

The wood at the heart of a tree is the oldest.

Buddhists believe that suffering is right at the heart of all life.

At last she spoke in a low voice, hesitating slightly, nevertheless going with incisive directness into the very heart of the problem.

Arcelia Silva Martinez: Watch out!/Arcelia Silva Martinez: We've got geth in the tower./Fai Dan: Protect the heart of the colony!

Norwich's attack centred on a front pair of Steve Morison and Grant Holt, but Younes Kaboul at the heart of the Tottenham defence dominated in the air.

verb


heart (third-person singular simple present hearts, present participle hearting, simple past and past participle hearted)

(transitive, humorous, informal) To be fond of. Often bracketed or abbreviated with a heart symbol. [from late 20th c.]

(transitive, obsolete) To give heart to; to hearten; to encourage.

(transitive, masonry) To fill an interior with rubble, as a wall or a breakwater.

(intransitive, agriculture, botany) To form a dense cluster of leaves, a heart, especially of lettuce or cabbage.

Examples


Synonyms: love, less than three

We're but the sum of all our terrors until we heart the dove.

I guess at this point we were supposed to feel elated she'd come to her senses and decided she hearts dogs after all.

The further we delve into this "story", the more convinced we become of one thing: We heart the Goss.

Lots of people say they love their hometown, but no one hearts NY quite like Milton Glaser.

[…] My cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason.

Data provided by Wiktionary