-cardium

The combining form -cardium is used like a suffix to mean “heart tissues or organs.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy.

The form -cardium ultimately comes from Greek kardíā, meaning “heart.” The Latin cognate, cor, “heart,” is the source of words such as cordial, courage, and discord. To learn more, check out our entries for each word.

What are variants of -cardium?

While -cardium doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the form -cardia, as in tachycardia. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for -cardia.

Also closely related to -cardia and -cardium are cardio- and cardi-, combined to beginning of words like a prefix and meaning “heart.” Read our Words That Use articles on these forms to learn more.

One example of a medical term that features the form -cardium is myocardium, “the muscular substance of the heart.”

The form myo- means “muscle,” from Greek mŷs, while, the -cardium part of the word means “heart tissue.” Myocardium literally translates to “heart muscle tissue.”

What are some words that use the combining form -cardium?

• endocardium
• epicardium (using the equivalent form of -cardium in Latin)
• hemopericardium
• mesocardium
• pericardium (using the equivalent form of -cardium in Greek)

What are some other forms that -cardium may be commonly confused with?

• -carpous
• -cracy
• -crat

The combining form endo- means “within” or “inside.” With this in mind, what part of the body is the endocardium?