Cardio

How to spell cardio

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce cardio

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does cardio mean?

1. nounExercise that raises the heart rate and improves cardiovascular fitness, such as running or cycling.

Cardio in a sentence

• She does twenty minutes of cardio before lifting weights.

• The trainer recommended more cardio to improve his stamina.

Where does cardio come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This is a modern clipping of longer words such as 'cardiovascular' and 'cardiology', all of which trace back to the ancient Greek kardia, meaning 'heart'. The same kardia gave classical and medical English its standard 'cardio-' prefix, used to label anything connected with the heart. As fitness culture grew in the late twentieth century, gym-goers shortened 'cardiovascular exercise' to the brisk single word 'cardio', meaning the kind of activity that raises the heart rate. The spelling stays close to its Greek source, keeping the 'card' that also surfaces in 'cardiac' and 'cardiogram'. Because the ending is just the linking vowel '-o', the word is short and phonetic, which keeps it easy to write.

How the word is built

• cardi- (from Greek kardia: heart)
• -o (combining/clipping vowel)