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heart

n. · v.
US //ˈhɑɹt// UK //hˈɑːt// heart
  1. 1 body organ (n.)
    A1 Beginner Medicine

    the organ in your chest that pumps blood through your body.

    the hollow muscular organ that maintains the circulation of blood by rhythmic contraction and dilation.

    Example

    You can feel your heart beating faster when you run up the stairs.

    Example

    Regular aerobic exercise strengthens the heart muscle, improving its efficiency at pumping oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

  2. 2 emotions and love (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    your deepest feelings, especially love and kindness.

    the metaphorical seat of emotions, affections, and sensibilities.

    Example

    She knew in her heart that she was making the right decision.

    Example

    The poet explores the conflict between the rational mind and the impulsive heart in his latest collection of sonnets.
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  1. 3 the center (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the middle or most important part of something.

    the central, innermost, or most essential part of a place, organization, or problem.

    Example

    Our hotel was located right in the heart of the city.

    Example

    The investigation eventually reached the heart of the matter, uncovering a complex web of financial mismanagement.
  2. 4 courage (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the bravery or spirit to keep doing something difficult.

    the capacity for endurance, courage, or enthusiasm in the face of difficulty.

    Example

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

    Example

    Despite the overwhelming odds, the small group of volunteers never lost heart and continued their rescue efforts through the night.
  3. 5 shape or card suit (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a shape with two curves at the top (♥) or a card from the red suit in a deck.

    a conventional symmetric representation of the heart; also, one of the four suits of playing cards.

    Example

    He drew a small heart at the bottom of the letter.

    Example

    In many card games, the queen of hearts is a significant card that players try to avoid collecting.

  4. 6 to love or like (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal Humorous

    to like or love something very much.

    to feel great affection for; often used as a substitute for the word 'love' in digital contexts.

    Example

    I heart New York; it is such an exciting city to visit.

    Example

    The marketing campaign used the slogan 'I heart local coffee' to appeal to younger, social-media-savvy consumers.
  5. 7 to like a post (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal Computing

    to click a heart button on a social media post to show you like it.

    to indicate approval or appreciation of digital content by clicking a heart-shaped icon.

    Example

    Don't forget to heart my photo if you enjoyed the video.

    Example

    The influencer noticed that her followers were more likely to heart posts that featured candid, behind-the-scenes footage.
Origin

PIE word *ḱḗr From Middle English herte, from Old English heorte (“heart”), from Proto-West Germanic hertā, from Proto-Germanic hertô (“heart”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱérd (“heart”). Doublet of cardia; see also core. Most of the modern figurative senses (such as passion or compassion, spirit, inmost feelings, especially love, affection, and courage) were present in Old English. However, the meaning “center” dates from the early 14th century. The verb sense “to love” is from the 1977 I ❤ NY advertising campaign. Notes on spelling The spelling ⟨ear⟩ for /ɑː(ɹ)/ is paralleled by hearken and hearth, but is problematics since a Early Modern variant with /ɛːr/ can be posited for those words, but not heart. Perhaps it represents Middle Scots hart /hɛːrt/ (reflecting the Scots lengthening of /a/ before /r/ then a consonant, then the early actuation of the Great Vowel Shift in Scots) or a parallel development in Northern England. Alternatively, a back-spelling by speakers of dialects where preconsonantal /ɛːr/ was shortened early, allowing it to undergo the late Middle English lowering to /ar/ (reflected in forms such as larn "learn") is possible.

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