noun
heartburn
HART-bern/ˈhɑːrtbɜːrn/
Burning chest discomfort caused by stomach acid rising upward.
Stomach acid rises into the esophagus and causes heartburn.
Etymology
The pieces associate burning with the heart, but the digestive meaning reflects a historical confusion between the heart and nearby digestive organs. This explains why a symptom caused by stomach acid carries the heart's name.
In context
I started noticing uh digestive um heartburn. Um I would feel like sometimes I would feel like in the middle of the night feel like my heart was on fire.
More examples
- Spicy food sometimes gives me heartburn.
- Her heartburn gets worse when she lies down after dinner.
- An antacid usually relieves his heartburn.
Similar words
- indigestion
- Covers digestive discomfort more broadly, not just burning chest pain.