heart

heart / härt/ • n. 1. a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation. In vertebrates there may be up to four chambers (as in humans), with two atria and two ventricles. ∎  the region of the chest above the heart: holding hand on heart for the Pledge of Allegiance. ∎  the heart regarded as the center of a person's thoughts and emotions, esp. love or compassion: hardening his heart, he ignored her entreaties he poured out his heart to me | he has no heart. ∎  one's mood or feeling: they had a change of heart. ∎  courage or enthusiasm: they may lose heart as the work mounts up Mary took heart from the encouragement handed out I put my heart and soul into it and then got fired. 2. the central or innermost part of something: right in the heart of the city. ∎  the vital part or essence: the heart of the matter. ∎  the close compact head of a cabbage or lettuce. 3. a conventional representation of a heart with two equal curves meeting at a point at the bottom and a cusp at the top. ∎  (hearts) one of the four suits in a conventional pack of playing cards, denoted by a red figure of such a shape. ∎  a card of this suit. ∎  (hearts) a card game similar to whist, in which players attempt to avoid taking tricks containing a card of this suit. 4. the condition of agricultural land as regards fertility. PHRASES: after one's own heart of the type that one likes or understands best; sharing one's tastes: a man after God’s own heart. at heart in one's real nature, in contrast to how one may appear: he's a good guy at heart. break someone's heart overwhelm someone with sadness. by heart from memory. close (or dear) to (or near) one's heart of deep interest and concern to one. from the (bottom of one's) heart with sincere feeling: their warmth and hospitality is right from the heart. give (or lose) one's heart to fall in love with. have a heart [often in imper.] be merciful; show pity. have a heart of gold have a generous nature. have the heart to do something be insensitive or hard-hearted enough to do something: I don't have the heart to tell her. have (or put) one's heart in be (or become) keenly involved in or committed to (an enterprise). have one's heart in one's mouth be greatly alarmed or apprehensive. have one's heart in the right place be sincere or well intentioned. heart of stone a stern or cruel nature. hearts and flowers used in allusion to extreme sentimentality. hearts and minds used in reference to emotional and intellectual support or commitment: a campaign to win the hearts and minds of America's college students. one's heart's desire a person or thing that one greatly wishes for. one's heartstrings used in reference to one's deepest feelings of love or compassion: the kitten's pitiful little squeak tugged at her heartstrings. in one's heart of hearts in one's inmost feelings. take something to heart take criticism seriously and be affected or upset by it. wear one's heart on one's sleeve make one's feelings apparent. with all one's heart (or one's whole heart) sincerely; completely. with one's heart in one's boots in a state of great depression or trepidation: I had to follow her with my heart in my boots.DERIVATIVES: heart·ed adj. [in comb.] a generous-hearted woman. ORIGIN: Old English heorte, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hart and German Herz, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin cor, cord- and Greek kēr, kardia.