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The combining form -cardium is used like a suffix to mean “heart tissues or organs.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy.

The form -cardium ultimately comes from Greek �첹����í��, meaning “heart.” The Latin cognate, cor, “heart,” is the source of words such as , , and . To learn more, check out our entries for each word.

What are variants of -cardium?

While -cardium doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the form -cardia, as in tachycardia. Want to know more? Read our 51�Թ�s That Use article for .

Also closely related to -cardia and -cardium are cardio- and cardi-, combined to beginning of words like a prefix and meaning “heart.” Read our 51�Թ�s That Use articles on these forms to learn more.

One example of a medical term that features the form -cardium is myocardium, “the muscular substance of the heart.”

The form myo- means “muscle,” from Greek ��ŷ��, while, the -cardium part of the word means “heart tissue.” Myocardium literally translates to “heart muscle tissue.”

What are some words that use the combining form -cardium?

• endocardium
• epicardium (using the equivalent form of -cardium in Latin)
• hemopericardium
• mesocardium
• pericardium (using the equivalent form of -cardium in Greek)

What are some other forms that -cardium may be commonly confused with?

• -carpous
• -cracy
• -crat

The combining form endo- means “within” or “inside.” With this in mind, what part of the body is the endocardium?