Bigeminy
/baɪˈdʒɛm.ɪ.ni/noun
A cardiac rhythm in which every normal beat is followed by an extra beat.
Did you know?Bigeminy comes from Latin bi- (“two”) + geminus (“twin, double”), the same root family behind words for twins and paired things, giving this medical term a quietly ancient sense of duplication.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
bīgeminus
“double; twofold; in pairs”
Late Latin
Latin
bigeminus
“having twofold or paired form”
Medieval Latin
Latin
bigeminia
“a doubling or paired occurrence”
16th-17th Century
English
bigeminy
“a repeated double occurrence, especially in medicine”
Modern English
English
bigeminy
“a heart rhythm in which every normal beat is followed by an extra beat”