heartburn

What it means

1. countableuncountablemedicineA burning pain in the chest that is caused by stomach acid entering the gullet.

   Coordinate term: cardiodynia

   Synonyms: acid reflux, gastric reflux, gastroesophageal reflux, pyrosis, water brash, cardialgia, cardialgy

2. countablefigurativelyuncountableannoyance, heartache, or similar feelings.

   Back in Thailand, meantime, the CIA felt relatively little heartburn over the congressional rebuff.

   2013, Kenneth Conboy, The Cambodian Wars, →ISBN, page 268

   3 more examples

   ”There’s some heartburn about the fact the message is getting stepped on,” said Mark McKinnon, Bush’s campaign media strategist.

   2001, J. Michael Willard, The Accidental Headline, →ISBN, page 80

   America’s policy of containing both the Soviet Union and its Chinese ally did cause some heartburn in Tokyo.

   2003, Robyn Lim, The Geopolitics of East Asia: The Search for Equilibrium, →ISBN, page 92

   "It boils down to promises made, promises kept," said Mr. White, 53. "And that's really what I have heartburn about."

   2005 December 14, Micheline Maynard, Jeremy W. Peters, “Protests Well Up as Delphi Workers Ponder Cuts”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 03 Sep 2023

In a sentence

Coordinate term: cardiodynia

Where it comes from

1. Middle Englishhertbryne
2. Englishheartburn

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.