Etymology

heartburn

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Today it means: A burning pain in the chest that is caused by stomach acid entering the gullet. Full definition →

Middle English hertbryne
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromhertbryne
  2. English todayheartburn

From Middle English hertbryne, herte-bren (“lust", also "heartburn”, literally “heart burn”), equivalent to heart + burn. Compare also Middle English herte-brennyng (“anger, bitterness, heartburn”, literally “burning of/in the heart, heart-burning”). Compare also Ancient Greek καρδιαλγία (kardialgía), from καρδία (kardía, “heart”) + ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”). From being a burning sensation near the location of the heart in the chest.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.