Cardiomyopathy
/ˌkɑːr.di.oʊ.maɪˈɒp.ə.θi/noun
A disease of the heart muscle that impairs the heart's ability to pump blood.
Did you know?Cardiomyopathy is built from Greek roots meaning “heart,” “muscle,” and “suffering,” a reminder that medical language often preserves ancient ideas of the body as a place where affliction is written into the word itself.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kardía
“heart”
Ancient Greek
Greek
mŷs
“mouse; muscle”
Ancient Greek
Greek
páthos
“suffering, experience, feeling”
19th Century
English
cardio-
“combining form meaning heart”
19th Century
English
myo-
“combining form meaning muscle”
20th Century
English
cardiomyopathy
“disease of the heart muscle”