Bradycardia
/ˌbræd.iˈkɑːr.di.ə/noun
An abnormally slow heart rate, typically below 60 beats per minute in adults.
Did you know?The Greek root kardia, meaning “heart,” survives in scientific words such as cardiac and in distant English relatives connected to the Latin word for heart, cor.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kerd-
“Heart; the reconstructed root behind Greek kardia and Latin cor.”
Classical Greek
Greek
βραδύς (bradys)
“Slow, sluggish, or delayed.”
Classical Greek
Greek
καρδία (kardia)
“Heart.”
19th Century
Medical Latin
bradycardia
“A slow heartbeat; formed from Greek bradys, “slow,” and kardia, “heart.””
Modern English
English
bradycardia
“An abnormally slow heart rate, especially as a clinical diagnosis.”