Adjacent Words

Heart definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HEART, n. [L. cor, cordis, and allied to Eng.core, or named from motion, pulsation.]
1. A muscular viscus, which is the primary organ of the blood's motion in an animal body, situated in the thorax. From this organ all the arteries arise, and in it all the veins terminate. By its alternate dilatation and contraction, the blood is received from the veins, and returned through the arteries, by which means the circulation is carried on and life preserved.
2. The inner part of any thing; the middle part or interior; as the heart of a country, kingdom or empire; the heart of a town; the heart of a tree.
3. The chief part; the vital part; the vigorous or efficacious part.
4. The seat of the affections and passions, as of love, joy, grief, enmity, courage, pleasure etc.
The heart is deceitful above all things. Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart is evil continually. We read of an honest and good heart, and an evil heart of unbelief, a willing heart, a heavy heart, sorrow of heart, a hard heart, a proud heart, a pure heart. The heart faints in adversity, or under discouragement, that is, courage fails; the heart is deceived, enlarged, reproved, lifted up, fixed, established, moved, etc.
5. By a metonymy, heart is used for an affection or passion, and particularly for love.
The king's heart was towards Absalom. 1 Samuel 14.
6. The seat of the understanding; as an understanding heart.
We read of men wise in heart, and slow of heart.
7. The seat of the will; hence, secret purposes, intentions or designs. There are many devices in a man's heart. The heart of kings is unsearchable. The Lord tries and searches the heart. David had it in his heart to build a house of rest for the ark.
Sometimes heart is used for the will, or determined purpose.
The heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Ecclesiastes 8.
8. Person; character; used with respect to courage or kindess.
Cheerly, my hearts.
9. Courage; spirit; as, to take heart; to give heart; to recover heart.
10. Secret thoughts; recesses of the mind.
Michal saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. 1 Samuel 6.
11. Disposition of mind.
He had a heart to do well.
12. Secret meaning; real intention.
And then show you the heart of my message.
13. Conscience, or sense of good or ill.
Every man's heart and conscience--doth either like or disallow it.
14. Strength; power of producing; vigor; fertility. Keep the land in heart.
That the spent earth may gather heart again.
15. The utmost degree.
This gay charm--hath beguiled me
To the very heart of loss.
To get or learn by heart, to commit to memory; to learn so perfectly as to be able to repeat without a copy.
To take to heart, to be much affected; also, to be zealous, ardent or solicitous about a thing; to have concern.
To lay to heart, is used nearly in the sense of the foregoing.
To set the heart on, to fix the desires on; to be very desirous of obtaining or keeping; to be very fond of.
To set the heart at rest, to make one's self quiet; to be tranquil or easy in mind.
To find in the heart, to be willing or disposed.
I find it in my heart to ask your pardon.
For my heart, for tenderness or affection.
I could not for my heart refuse his request.
Or, this phrase may signify, for my life; if my life was at stake.
I could not get him for my heart to do it.
To speak to one's heart,in Scripture, to speak kindly to; to comfort; to encourage.
To have in the heart, to purpose; to have design or intention.
A hard heart, cruelty; want of sensibility.
HE`ART, v.i. To encourage. [Not much used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the locus of feelings and intuitions; "in your heart you know it is true"; "her story would melt your bosom" [syn: heart, bosom]
2: the hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions move the blood through the body; "he stood still, his heart thumping wildly" [syn: heart, pump, ticker]
3: the courage to carry on; "he kept fighting on pure spunk"; "you haven't got the heart for baseball" [syn: heart, mettle, nerve, spunk]
4: an area that is approximately central within some larger region; "it is in the center of town"; "they ran forward into the heart of the struggle"; "they were in the eye of the storm" [syn: center, centre, middle, heart, eye]
5: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story" [syn: kernel, substance, core, center, centre, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty- gritty]
6: an inclination or tendency of a certain kind; "he had a change of heart" [syn: heart, spirit]
7: a plane figure with rounded sides curving inward at the top and intersecting at the bottom; conventionally used on playing cards and valentines; "he drew a heart and called it a valentine"
8: a firm rather dry variety meat (usually beef or veal); "a five-pound beef heart will serve six"
9: a positive feeling of liking; "he had trouble expressing the affection he felt"; "the child won everyone's heart"; "the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home" [syn: affection, affectionateness, fondness, tenderness, heart, warmness, warmheartedness, philia]
10: a playing card in the major suit that has one or more red hearts on it; "he led the queen of hearts"; "hearts were trumps"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English hert, from Old English heorte; akin to Old High German herza heart, Latin cord-, cor, Greek kardia Date: before 12th century 1. a. a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood b. a structure in an invertebrate animal functionally analogous to the vertebrate heart c. breast, bosom d. something resembling a heart in shape; specifically a stylized representation of a heart 2. a. a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a red heart b. plural the suit comprising cards marked with hearts c. plural but singular or plural in construction a game in which the object is to avoid taking tricks containing hearts 3. a. personality, disposition <a cold heart> b. obsolete intellect 4. the emotional or moral as distinguished from the intellectual nature: as a. generous disposition ; compassion <a leader with heart> b. love, affections <won her heart> c. courage, ardor <never lost heart> 5. one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations <knew it in his heart> <a man after my own heart> 6. a. the central or innermost part ; center b. the essential or most vital part of something c. the younger central compact part of a leafy rosette (as a head of lettuce) II. transitive verb Date: before 12th century 1. archaic hearten 2. archaic to fix in the heart

Britannica Concise

Organ that pumps blood, circulating it to all parts of the body (see circulation). The human heart is a four-chambered double pump with its right and left sides fully separated by a septum and subdivided on both sides into an atrium above and a ventricle below. The right heart receives venous blood from the superior and inferior venae cavae (see vena cava) and propels it into the pulmonary circulation. The left heart takes in blood from the pulmonary veins and sends it into the systemic circulation. Electrical signals from a natural pacemaker cause the heart muscle to contract. Valves in the heart keep blood flowing in one direction. Their snapping shut after each contraction causes the sounds heard as the heartbeat. See also cardiovascular system.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a hollow muscular organ maintaining the circulation of blood by rhythmic contraction and dilation. 2 the region of the heart; the breast. 3 a the heart regarded as the centre of thought, feeling, and emotion (esp. love). b a person's capacity for feeling emotion (has no heart). 4 a courage or enthusiasm (take heart; lose heart). b one's mood or feeling (change of heart). 5 a the central or innermost part of something. b the vital part or essence (the heart of the matter). 6 the close compact head of a cabbage, lettuce, etc. 7 a a heart-shaped thing. b a conventional representation of a heart with two equal curves meeting at a point at the bottom and a cusp at the top. 8 a a playing-card of a suit denoted by a red figure of a heart. b (in pl.) this suit. c (in pl.) a card-game in which players avoid taking tricks containing a card of this suit. 9 condition of land as regards fertility (in good heart). Phrases and idioms: after one's own heart such as one likes or desires. at heart 1 in one's inmost feelings. 2 basically, essentially. break a person's heart overwhelm a person with sorrow. by heart in or from memory. close to (or near) one's heart 1 dear to one. 2 affecting one deeply. from the heart (or the bottom of one's heart) sincerely, profoundly. give (or lose) one's heart (often foll. by to) fall in love (with). have a heart be merciful. have the heart (usu. with neg.; foll. by to + infin.) be insensitive or hard-hearted enough (didn't have the heart to ask him). have (or put) one's heart in be keenly involved in or committed to (an enterprise etc.). have one's heart in one's mouth be greatly alarmed or apprehensive. have one's heart in the right place be sincere or well-intentioned. heart attack a sudden occurrence of coronary thrombosis usu. resulting in the death of part of a heart muscle. heart failure a gradual failure of the heart to function properly, resulting in breathlessness, oedema, etc. heart-lung machine a machine that temporarily takes over the functions of the heart and lungs, esp. in surgery. heart of gold a generous nature. heart of oak a courageous nature. heart of stone a stern or cruel nature. heart-rending very distressing. heart-rendingly in a heart-rending way. heart's-blood lifeblood, life. heart-searching the thorough examination of one's own feelings and motives. heart to heart candidly, intimately. heart-to-heart adj. (of a conversation etc.) candid, intimate. --n. a candid or personal conversation. heart-warming emotionally rewarding or uplifting. in heart in good spirits. in one's heart of hearts in one's inmost feelings. out of heart in low spirits. take to heart be much affected or distressed by. to one's heart's content see CONTENT(1). wear one's heart on one's sleeve make one's feelings apparent. with all one's heart sincerely; with all goodwill. with one's whole heart with enthusiasm; without doubts or reservations. Derivatives: -hearted adj. Etymology: OE heorte f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Heart Heart, n. [OE. harte, herte, heorte, AS. heorte; akin to OS. herta, OFies. hirte, D. hart, OHG. herza, G. herz, Icel. hjarta, Sw. hjerta, Goth. ha['i]rt?, Lith. szirdis, Russ. serdtse, Ir. cridhe, L. cor, Gr. ?, ? ????. Cf. Accord, Discord, Cordial, 4th Core, Courage.] 1. (Anat.) A hollow, muscular organ, which, by contracting rhythmically, keeps up the circulation of the blood. Why does my blood thus muster to my heart! --Shak. Note: In adult mammals and birds, the heart is four-chambered, the right auricle and ventricle being completely separated from the left auricle and ventricle; and the blood flows from the systematic veins to the right auricle, thence to the right ventricle, from which it is forced to the lungs, then returned to the left auricle, thence passes to the left ventricle, from which it is driven into the systematic arteries. See Illust. under Aorta. In fishes there are but one auricle and one ventricle, the blood being pumped from the ventricle through the gills to the system, and thence returned to the auricle. In most amphibians and reptiles, the separation of the auricles is partial or complete, and in reptiles the ventricles also are separated more or less completely. The so-called lymph hearts, found in many amphibians, reptiles, and birds, are contractile sacs, which pump the lymph into the veins. 2. The seat of the affections or sensibilities, collectively or separately, as love, hate, joy, grief, courage, and the like; rarely, the seat of the understanding or will; -- usually in a good sense, when no epithet is expressed; the better or lovelier part of our nature; the spring of all our actions and purposes; the seat of moral life and character; the moral affections and character itself; the individual disposition and character; as, a good, tender, loving, bad, hard, or selfish heart. Hearts are dust, hearts' loves remain. --Emerson. 3. The nearest the middle or center; the part most hidden and within; the inmost or most essential part of any body or system; the source of life and motion in any organization; the chief or vital portion; the center of activity, or of energetic or efficient action; as, the heart of a country, of a tree, etc. Exploits done in the heart of France. --Shak. Peace subsisting at the heart Of endless agitation. --Wordsworth. 4. Courage; courageous purpose; spirit. Eve, recovering heart, replied. --Milton. The expelled nations take heart, and when they fly from one country invade another. --Sir W. Temple. 5. Vigorous and efficient activity; power of fertile production; condition of the soil, whether good or bad. That the spent earth may gather heart again. --Dryden. 6. That which resembles a heart in shape; especially, a roundish or oval figure or object having an obtuse point at one end, and at the other a corresponding indentation, -- used as a symbol or representative of the heart. 7. One of a series of playing cards, distinguished by the figure or figures of a heart; as, hearts are trumps. 8. Vital part; secret meaning; real intention. And then show you the heart of my message. --Shak. 9. A term of affectionate or kindly and familiar address. ``I speak to thee, my heart.'' --Shak. Note: Heart is used in many compounds, the most of which need no special explanation; as, heart-appalling, heart-breaking, heart-cheering, heart-chilled, heart-expanding, heart-free, heart-hardened, heart-heavy, heart-purifying, heart-searching, heart-sickening, heart-sinking, heart-stirring, heart-touching, heart-wearing, heart-whole, heart-wounding, heart-wringing, etc. After one's own heart, conforming with one's inmost approval and desire; as, a friend after my own heart. The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart. --1 Sam. xiii. 14. At heart, in the inmost character or disposition; at bottom; really; as, he is at heart a good man. By heart, in the closest or most thorough manner; as, to know or learn by heart. ``Composing songs, for fools to get by heart'' (that is, to commit to memory, or to learn thoroughly). --Pope. For my heart, for my life; if my life were at stake. [Obs.] ``I could not get him for my heart to do it.'' --Shak. Heart bond (Masonry), a bond in which no header stone stretches across the wall, but two headers meet in the middle, and their joint is covered by another stone laid header fashion. --Knight. Heart and hand, with enthusiastic co["o]peration. Heart hardness, hardness of heart; callousness of feeling; moral insensibility. --Shak. Heart heaviness, depression of spirits. --Shak. Heart point (Her.), the fess point. See Escutcheon. Heart rising, a rising of the heart, as in opposition. Heart shell (Zo["o]l.), any marine, bivalve shell of the genus Cardium and allied genera, having a heart-shaped shell; esp., the European Isocardia cor; -- called also heart cockle. Heart sickness, extreme depression of spirits. Heart and soul, with the utmost earnestness. Heart urchin (Zo["o]l.), any heartshaped, spatangoid sea urchin. See Spatangoid. Heart wheel, a form of cam, shaped like a heart. See Cam. In good heart, in good courage; in good hope. Out of heart, discouraged. Poor heart, an exclamation of pity. To break the heart of. (a) To bring to despair or hopeless grief; to cause to be utterly cast down by sorrow. (b) To bring almost to completion; to finish very nearly; -- said of anything undertaken; as, he has broken the heart of the task. To find in the heart, to be willing or disposed. ``I could find in my heart to ask your pardon.'' --Sir P. Sidney. To have at heart, to desire (anything) earnestly. To have in the heart, to purpose; to design or intend to do. To have the heart in the mouth, to be much frightened. To lose heart, to become discouraged. To lose one's heart, to fall in love. To set the heart at rest, to put one's self at ease. To set the heart upon, to fix the desires on; to long for earnestly; to be very fond of. To take heart of grace, to take courage. To take to heart, to grieve over. To wear one's heart upon one's sleeve, to expose one's feelings or intentions; to be frank or impulsive. With all one's whole heart, very earnestly; fully; completely; devotedly.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Heart Heart, v. t. To give heart to; to hearten; to encourage; to inspirit. [Obs.] My cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Heart Heart, v. i. To form a compact center or heart; as, a hearting cabbage.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(hearts) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Your heart is the organ in your chest that pumps the blood around your body. People also use heart to refer to the area of their chest that is closest to their heart. The bullet had passed less than an inch from Andrea's heart... N-COUNT 2. You can refer to someone's heart when you are talking about their deep feelings and beliefs. (LITERARY) Alik's words filled her heart with pride... N-COUNT: usu with poss 3. You use heart when you are talking about someone's character and attitude towards other people, especially when they are kind and generous. She loved his brilliance and his generous heart... N-VAR: usu adj N in sing [approval] 4. The heart of something is the most central and important part of it. The heart of the problem is supply and demand... = crux N-SING: N of n 5. The heart of a place is its centre. ...a busy dentists' practice in the heart of London's West End. N-SING: usu N of n 6. A heart is a shape that is used as a symbol of love: ?. ...heart-shaped chocolates. N-COUNT 7. Hearts is one of the four suits in a pack of playing cards. Each card in the suit is marked with one or more red symbols in the shape of a heart. N-UNCOUNT-COLL • A heart is a playing card of this suit. N-COUNT 8. If you feel or believe something with all your heart, you feel or believe it very strongly. My own family I loved with all my heart. PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR with cl [emphasis] 9. If you say that someone is a particular kind of person at heart, you mean that that is what they are really like, even though they may seem very different. He was a very gentle boy at heart. PHRASE: PHR with cl 10. If you say that someone has your interests or your welfare at heart, you mean that they are concerned about you and that is why they are doing something. PHRASE: usu have n PHR 11. If someone breaks your heart, they make you very sad and unhappy, usually because they end a love affair or close relationship with you. (LITERARY) PHRASE: V and N inflect 12. If something breaks your heart, it makes you feel very sad and depressed, especially because people are suffering but you can do nothing to help them. It really breaks my heart to see them this way. PHRASE: V and N inflect, oft PHR to-inf 13. If you say that someone has a broken heart, you mean that they are very sad, for example because a love affair has ended unhappily. (LITERARY) She never recovered from her broken heart. PHRASE: N inflects 14. If you know something such as a poem by heart, you have learned it so well that you can remember it without having to read it. Mack knew this passage by heart. PHRASE: PHR after v 15. If someone has a change of heart, their attitude towards something changes. Several brokers have had a change of heart about prospects for the company... PHRASE: change inflects 16. If something such as a subject or project is close to your heart or near to your heart, it is very important to you and you are very interested in it and concerned about it. Animal welfare is a subject very close to my heart. PHRASE: N inflects, oft v-link PHR 17. If you can do something to your heart's content, you can do it as much as you want. I was delighted to be able to eat my favorite dishes to my heart's content. PHRASE: PHR after v 18. You can say 'cross my heart' when you want someone to believe that you are telling the truth. You can also ask 'cross your heart?', when you are asking someone if they are really telling the truth. (SPOKEN) And I won't tell any of the other girls anything you tell me about it. I promise, cross my heart. CONVENTION 19. If you say something from the heart or from the bottom of your heart, you sincerely mean what you say. He spoke with confidence, from the heart... = sincerely PHRASE: PHR after v 20. If something gives you heart, it makes you feel more confident or happy about something. It gave me heart to see one thug get what he deserves. PHRASE: V inflects 21. If you want to do something but do not have the heart to do it, you do not do it because you know it will make someone unhappy or disappointed. We knew all along but didn't have the heart to tell her. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to-inf 22. If you believe or know something in your heart of hearts, that is what you really believe or think, even though it may sometimes seem that you do not. I know in my heart of hearts that I am the right man for that mission. PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR with cl 23. If your heart isn't in the thing you are doing, you have very little enthusiasm for it, usually because you are depressed or are thinking about something else. I tried to learn some lines but my heart wasn't really in it. PHRASE: V and N inflect, PHR n/-ing 24. If you lose heart, you become sad and depressed and are no longer interested in something, especially because it is not progressing as you would like. He appealed to his countrymen not to lose heart. PHRASE: V inflects 25. If your heart is in your mouth, you feel very excited, worried, or frightened. My heart was in my mouth when I walked into her office. PHRASE: V and Ns inflect 26. If you open your heart or pour out your heart to someone, you tell them your most private thoughts and feelings. She opened her heart to millions yesterday and told how she came close to suicide. PHRASE: V and N inflect, usu PHR to n 27. If you say that someone's heart is in the right place, you mean that they are kind, considerate, and generous, although you may disapprove of other aspects of their character. He is a bit of a tearaway but his heart is in the right place. PHRASE: heart and V inflect 28. If you have set your heart on something, you want it very much or want to do it very much. He had always set his heart on a career in the fine arts. PHRASE: V and N inflect, PHR n/-ing 29. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you openly show your feelings or emotions rather than keeping them hidden. PHRASE: V and N inflect 30. If you put your heart and soul into something, you do it with a great deal of enthusiasm and energy. PHRASE [emphasis] 31. If you take heart from something, you are encouraged and made to feel optimistic by it. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR from n 32. If you take something to heart, for example someone's behaviour, you are deeply affected and upset by it. If someone says something critical I take it to heart. PHRASE: V inflects

Easton's Bible Dictionary

According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. "Heart" and "soul" are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case.

The heart is the "home of the personal life," and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps. 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6; Ps. 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Luke 8:15), etc. In these and such passages the word "soul" could not be substituted for "heart."

The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Rom. 2:15). It is naturally wicked (Gen. 8:21), and hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Matt. 12:34; 15:18; comp. Eccl. 8:11; Ps. 73:7). Hence the heart must be changed, regenerated (Ezek. 36:26; 11:19; Ps. 51:10-14), before a man can willingly obey God.

The process of salvation begins in the heart by the believing reception of the testimony of God, while the rejection of that testimony hardens the heart (Ps. 95:8; Prov. 28:14; 2 Chr. 36:13). "Hardness of heart evidences itself by light views of sin; partial acknowledgment and confession of it; pride and conceit; ingratitude; unconcern about the word and ordinances of God; inattention to divine providences; stifling convictions of conscience; shunning reproof; presumption, and general ignorance of divine things."

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hart (lebh, lebhabh; kardia): The different senses in which the word occurs in the Old Testament and the New Testament may be grouped under the following heads:

1. Various Meanings:

It represents in the first place the bodily organ, and by easy transition those experiences which affect or are affected by the body. Fear, love, courage, anger, Joy, sorrow, hatred are always ascribed to the heart--especially in the Old Testament; thus courage for which usually ruach is used (Ps 27:14); joy (Ps 4:7); anger (De 19:6, "while his heart is hot," lebhabh); fear (1Sa 25:37); sorrow (Ps 13:2), etc.

Hence, naturally it came to stand for the man himself (De 7:17; "say in thine heart," Isa 14:13).

2. Heart and Personality:

As representing the man himself, it was considered to be the seat of the emotions and passions and appetites (Ge 18:5; Le 19:17; Ps 104:15), and embraced likewise the intellectual and moral faculties--though these are necessarily ascribed to the "soul" as well. This distinction is not always observed.

3. Soul and Heart:

"Soul" in Hebrew can never be rendered by "heart"; nor can "heart" be considered as a synonym for "soul." Cremer has well observed: "The Hebrew nephesh ("soul") is never translated kardia ("heart"). .... The range of the Hebrew nephesh, to which the Greek psuche alone corresponds, differs so widely from the ideas connected with psuche, that utter confusion would have ensued had psuche been employed in an unlimited degree for lebh ("heart"). The Biblical lebh never, like psuche, denotes the personal subject, nor could it do so. That which in classical Greek is ascribed to psuche (a good soul, a just soul, etc.) is in the Bible ascribed to the heart alone and cannot be otherwise" (Cremer, Lexicon, article "Kardia," 437 ff, German edition).

4. Center of Vital Action:

In the heart vital action is centered (1Ki 21:7). "Heart," except as a bodily organ, is never ascribed to animals, as is the case sometimes with nephesh and ruach (Le 17:11, nephesh; Ge 2:19; Nu 16:22; Ge 7:22, ruach). "Heart" is thus often used interchangeably with these two (Ge 41:8; Ps 86:4; 119:20); but "it never denotes the personal subject, always the personal organ."

5. Heart and Mind:

As the central organ in the body, forming a focus for its vital action, it has come to stand for the center of its moral, spiritual, intellectual life. "In particular the heart is the place in which the process of self-consciousness is carried out, in which the soul is at home with itself, and is conscious of all its doing and suffering as its own" (Oehler). Hence, it is that men of "courage" are called "men of the heart"; that the Lord is said to speak "in his heart" (Ge 8:21); that men "know in their own heart" (De 8:5); that "no one considereth in his heart' (Isa 44:19 the King James Version). "Heart" in this connection is sometimes rendered "mind," as in Nu 16:28 ("of mine own mind," Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) ex proprio corde, Septuagint ap' emautou); the foolish "is void of understanding," i.e. "heart" (Pr 6:32, where the Septuagint renders phrenon, Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) cordis, Luther "der ist ein Narr"). God is represented as "searching the heart" and "trying the reins" (Jer 17:10 the King James Version). Thus, "heart" comes to stand for "conscience," for which there is no word in Hebrew, as in Job 27:6, "My heart shall not reproach me," or in 1Sa 24:5, "David's heart smote him"; compare 1Sa 25:31. From this it appears, in the words of Owen: "The heart in Scripture is variously used, sometimes for the mind and understanding, sometimes for the will, sometimes for the affections, sometimes for the conscience, sometimes for the whole soul. Generally, it denotes the whole soul of man and all the faculties of it, not absolutely, but as they are all one principle of moral operations, as they all concur in our doing of good and evil."

6. Figurative Senses:

The radical corruption of human nature is clearly taught in Scripture and brought into connection with the heart. It is "uncircumcised" (Jer 9:26; Eze 44:7; compare Ac 7:51); and "hardened" (Ex 4:21); "wicked" (Pr 26:23); "perverse" (Pr 11:20); "godless" (Job 36:13); "deceitful and desperately wicked" (Jer 17:9 the King James Version). It defiles the whole man (Mt 15:19,20); resists, as in the case of Pharaoh, the repeated call of God (Ex 7:13). There, however, the law of God is written (Ro 2:15); there the work of grace is wrought (Ac 15:9), for the "heart" may be "renewed" by grace (Eze 36:26), because the "heart" is the seat of sin (Ge 6:5; 8:21).

7. Process of Heart Renewal:

This process of heart-renewal is indicated in various ways. It is the removal of a "stony heart" (Eze 11:19). The heart becomes "clean" (Ps 51:10); "fixed" (Ps 112:7) through "the fear" of the Lord (verse 1); "With the heart man believeth" (Ro 10:10); on the "heart" the power of God is exercised for renewal (Jer 31:33). To God the bereaved apostles pray as a knower of the heart (Ac 1:24--a word not known to classical writers, found only here in the New Testament and in Ac 15:8, kardiognostes). In the "heart" God's Spirit dwells with might (Eph 3:16, eis ton eso anthropon); in the "heart" God's love is poured forth (Ro 5:5). The Spirit of His son has been "sent forth into the heart" (Ga 4:6); the "earnest of the Spirit" has been given "in the heart" (2Co 1:22). In the work of grace, therefore, the heart occupies a position almost unique.

8. The Heart First:

We might also refer here to the command, on which both the Old Testament and New Testament revelation of love is based: "Thou shalt love Yahweh thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (De 6:5); where "heart" always takes the first place, and is the term which in the New Testament rendering remains unchanged (compare Mt 22:37; Mr 12:30,33; Lu 10:27, where "heart" always takes precedence).

9. A Term for "Deepest":

A bare reference may be made to the employment of the term for that which is innermost, hidden, deepest in anything (Ex 15:8; Jon 2:3), the very center of things. This we find in all languages. Compare Eph 3:16,17, "in the inward man," as above.

J. I. Marais

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Seat of life, centre of circulation, organ of circulation. 2. Centre, interior, core, kernel, essence, inner part, vital part. 3. Disposition, mind, will, inclination, purpose, intent, affection, passion. 4. Courage, spirit, firmness, fortitude, resolution. 5. Love, affections, feeling, emotion, seat of affection or love, seat of feeling or passion. 6. Conscience, moral nature, sense of good and ill, moral feeling, seat of character, character, seat of moral life.

Foolish Dictionary

A bloody organ, kept in a trunk, played by beats, and enjoyed only after it is lost or given away

Moby Thesaurus

Amor, Benzedrine, Benzedrine pill, C, Christian love, Dexamyl, Dexamyl pill, Dexedrine, Dexedrine pill, Eros, Methedrine, abatis, abdomen, admiration, adoration, affection, agape, amphetamine, amphetamine sulfate, angina, angina pectoris, anima, anima humana, animating force, anus, aortic insufficiency, aortic stenosis, apoplectic stroke, apoplexy, appendix, ardency, ardor, arrhythmia, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, atman, atrial fibrillation, attachment, auricular fibrillation, axiom, axis, ba, backbone, basics, bathmism, beating heart, being, bench mark, beriberi heart, biological clock, biorhythm, blind gut, blood, bodily love, boldness, bones, bosom, bottom, bowels, brain, brains, bravery, breast, breath, breath of life, brotherly love, buddhi, callousness, cardiac arrest, cardiac insufficiency, cardiac shock, cardiac stenosis, cardiac thrombosis, cardinal point, carditis, caritas, cecum, center, center of action, center of gravity, center of life, centroid, centrum, charity, chief thing, chitterlings, chutzpah, climax, cocaine, cockscomb, coke, colon, compassion, concern, congenital heart disease, conjugal love, consideration, cor biloculare, cor juvenum, cor triatriatum, core, cornerstone, coronary, coronary insufficiency, coronary thrombosis, courage, crisis, critical point, crux, crystal, cue, dauntlessness, dead center, deepest recesses, desire, determination, devotion, dextroamphetamine sulfate, diameter, diaphragm, diastolic hypertension, distillate, distillation, divine breath, divine spark, duodenum, ecstasy, ego, elan vital, elixir, empathy, encased heart, endocarditis, endocardium, enthusiasm, entrails, epicenter, equator, esoteric reality, esprit, essence, essence of life, essential, essential matter, excitement, extrasystole, fabric, faithful love, fancy, fatty heart, feelings, fervency, fervidness, fervor, fibroid heart, fire, flame, flask-shaped heart, flower, focal point, focus, fondness, football, force of life, foregut, frame, frame of mind, free love, free-lovism, frosted heart, fundamental, fundamentals, furor, fury, generosity, giblets, gist, gizzard, goodness, gravamen, great point, grit, growth force, gusto, guts, gutsiness, guttiness, hairy heart, haslet, heart attack, heart block, heart condition, heart disease, heart failure, heart of hearts, heart of oak, heartbeat, heartblood, heartiness, heartlessness, heartstrings, heat, hero worship, high blood pressure, high point, hindgut, hub, humanitarianism, humanity, humor, hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, hypostasis, idolatry, idolism, idolization, impassionedness, important thing, impulse of life, inmost heart, inmost soul, innards, inner, inner essence, inner landscape, inner life, inner man, inner mechanism, inner nature, inner recess, inner self, innermost being, insensitivity, inside, insides, inspiriting force, interior, interior man, intern, internal, internals, intestinal fortitude, intestine, intrados, inward, inwards, ischemic heart disease, issue, jejunum, jiva, jivatma, jolly bean, kernel, keystone, khu, kidney, kidneys, kindliness, kindness, kishkes, landmark, large intestine, lasciviousness, libido, life breath, life cycle, life essence, life force, life principle, life process, lifeblood, like, liking, liveliness, liver, liver and lights, living force, love, lovemaking, lung, magnanimity, main point, main thing, manes, married love, marrow, material, material point, matter, mean, meat, median, medium, medulla, metacenter, methamphetamine hydrochloride, mettle, middle, midgut, midmost, midriff, midst, milestone, mind, mitral insufficiency, mitral stenosis, mood, morale, moxie, myocardial infarction, myocardial insufficiency, myocarditis, myovascular insufficiency, nave, navel, nephesh, nerve, nerve center, note, nub, nucleus, nuts and bolts, omphalos, ox heart, palate, palpitation, paralytic stroke, paroxysmal tachycardia, passion, passionateness, penetralia, pep pill, pericarditis, perineum, physical love, pile, pith, pity, pivot, pluck, pneuma, polestar, popular regard, popularity, postulate, prana, premature beat, principle, pseudoaortic insufficiency, psyche, pulmonary insufficiency, pulmonary stenosis, pump, purple heart, purusha, pylorus, quick, quid, quiddity, quintessence, real issue, recesses, rectum, regard, relish, resolution, rheumatic heart disease, root, round heart, ruach, salient point, sap, savor, sclerosis, seat, seat of life, secret heart, secret place, secret places, sensibility, sensitivity, sentiment, sentiments, sex, sexual love, shade, shadow, shine, sincerity, sine qua non, small intestine, snow, soul, spark of life, speed, spirit, spirits, spiritual being, spiritual love, spiritus, spleen, spunk, stamina, state of mind, stimulant, stomach, stony heart, storm center, stout heart, stroke, stuff, substance, substantive point, sum and substance, sweetbread, sympathy, tachycardia, temper, tender feeling, tender passion, tenderness, the bottom line, the nitty-gritty, the point, the self, thick, thick of things, thrombosis, ticker, tone, tongue, toughness, tricuspid insufficiency, tricuspid stenosis, tripe, tripes, true being, true inwardness, truelove, turning point, turtle heart, umbilicus, understanding, upper, uxoriousness, varicose veins, varix, vehemence, vein, ventricular fibrillation, vermiform appendix, verve, vis vitae, vis vitalis, viscera, vital center, vital energy, vital flame, vital fluid, vital force, vital principle, vital spark, vital spirit, vitals, waist, waistline, warmth, warmth of feeling, weakness, will, works, worship, yearning, zeal, zest, zone