heart

Alternative forms

• hart, harte, hearte (all obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English herte, from Old English heorte (“heart”), from Proto-Germanic *hertô (“heart”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr (“heart”). Germanic cognates: see *hertô. The Indo-European root is also the source of Latin cor, cordis, Ancient Greek καρδιά (kardiá), Sanskrit हृद् (hṛd), Welsh craidd, Irish croí, Armenian սիրտ (sirt), Russian се́рдце (sérdce), and Lithuanian širdis.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /hɑːt/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /hɑɹt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)t
• Homophone: hart

Noun

heart (countable and uncountable, plural hearts)

1. (anatomy) A muscular organ that pumps blood through the body, traditionally thought to be the seat of emotion.
2. (uncountable) Emotions, kindness, moral effort, or spirit in general.

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

   • 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion‎, page 266:

     In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.

   • 2008, "Rights trampled in rush to deport immigrant workers," Quaker Action (magazine), vol. 89, no. 3, page 8:

     "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.

   • 2011 September 2, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC‎:

     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.

   • 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. (Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943)
3. 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.

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

4. Courage; courageous purpose; spirit.
   • 2016 September 28, Tom English, “Celtic 3–3 Manchester City”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, BBC Sport:

     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.

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     Eve, recovering heart, replied.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Sir W. Temple

     The expelled nations take heart, and when they fly from one country invade another.

5. Vigorous and efficient activity; power of fertile production; condition of the soil, whether good or bad.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Dryden

     That the spent earth may gather heart again.

6. (archaic) A term of affectionate or kindly and familiar address.
   • Listen, dear heart, we must go now.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare

     I speak to thee, my heart.

7. A conventional shape or symbol used to represent the heart, love, or emotion: ♥ or sometimes <3.
   • 1998, Pat Cadigan, Tea From an Empty Cup, page 106:

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

8. A playing card of the suit hearts featuring one or more heart-shaped symbols.
9. (cartomancy) The twenty-fourth Lenormand card.
10. The centre, essence, or core.

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

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

    • 2011 December 27, Mike Henson, “Norwich 0 - 2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport‎:

      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.

    • 1899, Robert Barr, chapter 3, in The Strong Arm:

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

Verb

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

1. (transitive, poetic or humorous) To be fond of. Often bracketed or abbreviated with a heart symbol.
   • 1905, Capt. James, William Wordsworth (editor), Poems and Extracts, page 81

     I heart to pray their bones may rest in peace

   • 2001 April 6, Michael Baldwin, "The Heart Has Its Reasons", Commonweal

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

   • 2006, Susan Reinhardt, Bulldog doesn't have to rely on the kindness of strangers to draw attention, Citizen-Times.com

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

   • 2008 January 30, "Cheese in our time: Blur and Oasis to end feud with a Stilton", The Guardian (London)

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

   • 2008 July 25, "The Media Hearts Obama?", On The Media, National Public Radio
2. (transitive, obsolete) To give heart to; to hearten; to encourage.
   • Shakespeare

     My cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason.

3. (transitive, masonry) To fill an interior with rubble, as a wall or a breakwater.
4. (intransitive, agriculture, botany) To form a dense cluster of leaves, a heart, especially of lettuce or cabbage.

Anagrams

• Earth, Harte, Herat, Taher, Terah, Thera, earth, hater, rathe, rehat, th'are, thare