English 'cardiovascular' from Greek 'kardía' (heart) + Latin 'vāsculum' (small vessel) — a modern medical compound combining two ancient roots.
Relating to the heart and blood vessels; describing exercise that raises the heart rate.
A modern medical compound formed from two classical elements: Greek 'kardía' (καρδία, heart) + Latin 'vāsculāris' (of or relating to small vessels), from 'vāsculum' (a small vessel, a cup), the diminutive of 'vās' (vessel, container). The Greek 'kardía' descends from PIE *ḱerd- (heart), one of the most stable roots in Indo-European: it yields Latin 'cor' (genitive 'cordis,' heart) → English 'cordial,' 'accord,' 'discord,' 'courage,' 'record'; Lithuanian 'širdìs' (heart); Old Irish 'cride' (heart); and Old English 'heorte' (heart). Latin 'vās' (vessel) derives from a root perhaps related to PIE
English 'heart,' Greek 'kardía,' Latin 'cor' (genitive 'cordis'), and even Hittite 'kard-' all come from the same PIE root *ḱerd-. The English word 'heart' underwent Grimm's Law (PIE *ḱ → Germanic *h), while the medical prefix 'cardio-' preserves the original Greek. Words like 'courage' (from Latin 'cor,' heart), 'cordial' (heartfelt), and 'accord' (hearts