'Cordial' is Latin for 'of the heart' — from 'cor' (heart). Warmth that radiates from the chest.
Warm and friendly in manner; also, a sweet, fruit-flavoured drink or a stimulating medicine.
From Medieval Latin 'cordiālis' (of or belonging to the heart), derived from Latin 'cor' (genitive 'cordis'), meaning heart. Latin 'cor' descends from PIE *ḱerd- (heart), one of the most ancient and stable roots in the proto-language, attested in virtually every branch: Greek 'kardía' (καρδία, heart), Old Irish 'cride,' Welsh 'craidd' (heart, centre), Old English 'heorte' (heart), Gothic 'hairto,' Sanskrit 'hṛd-,' and Lithuanian 'širdis.' The word entered English through Old French 'cordial' in the fourteenth century, initially as a medical term for substances believed to stimulate or warm the heart — restorative drinks, spiced wines, and herbal preparations administered to revive a failing patient. The semantic shift to sincere warmth and
The famous diplomatic phrase 'entente cordiale' — the 1904 agreement between Britain and France — literally means 'cordial understanding' or 'heart-felt agreement.' The English word 'courage' comes from the same Latin root 'cor' (heart), because the medieval understanding was that bravery resided in the heart. Meanwhile, 'cardiac' comes from the Greek cognate 'kardía,' which shares
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