(1) The heart is a large involuntary muscle in the chest cavity.
(2) The heart has its own timer: it takes advice, but not orders, from the central nervous system.
(3) Heart is where the home is.
(4) If you go back far enough, heart is related to core, courage, cordial, and cardiac (but not to curd, curt, or courteous): the hypothesized Proto-Indo-European root is kerd-. The Germanic languages, you will recall, changed an intial 'c' into 'h', which is why a Latin unicorn has a cornus, but an English one has a horn.
(5) The meanings of English heart used to include "memory." We have forgotten this, mostly. Except that we still learn things "by heart."
8 comments:
That clears that up then :)
Thanks for this. I love this kind of etymology and "heart" is certainly one word worthy of its place in modern times. The "k" to "c" to "h" track is a softening, kerd* to card* to heart.
Loved learning all this!!
"When the heart is right
'for' and 'against' are forgotten."
(Chuang Tzu, from Whiskey River today)
Thanks for this:
(2) The heart has its own timer: it takes advice, but not orders, from the central nervous system.
It's an endocrine gland, and possibly a supplemental brain.
1-5 -- marvelous. Learning by heart. I never thought about the origins. You're a wonder, Dale. ;)
(You think Reiki helps to keep the dorsal cavity healthy?)
This is beautiful, Dale.
In the Biblical understanding, the lev -- heart -- is where memory and intellect reside...
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