Dextrocardia
/ˌdɛkstrəˈkɑːrdiə/noun
A condition in which the heart is situated on the right side of the chest.
Did you know?Dextrocardia comes from Greek medical language, where dextro- means “right” and kardia means “heart,” a reminder that anatomy itself was once named through the lens of direction, omen, and body symbolism.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
dexiá kardía
“right side; heart on the right”
Late Greek / Medical Greek
Greek
dextrokardía
“right-sided heart”
Modern Scientific Latin
Latin
dextrocardia
“medical term for a heart positioned toward the right”
19th Century
English
dextrocardia
“entered medical English as a clinical anatomical term”
Modern English
English
dextrocardia
“a congenital condition in which the heart lies on the right side of the chest”
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