What does angina mean?
Angina is a noun denoting a medical condition characterised by chest pain that arises when the heart muscle receives insufficient oxygen-rich blood, most often because the coronary arteries have been narrowed by disease. The classic form, known as angina pectoris, typically produces a sensation of pressure, squeezing, or tightness behind the breastbone, frequently triggered by exertion or emotional stress and relieved by rest or medication such as nitroglycerin. Clinicians distinguish stable angina, which follows predictable patterns, from unstable angina, which occurs unpredictably and signals a heightened risk of heart attack. The word derives from the Latin 'angere', meaning 'to choke or strangle', reflecting how patients historically described the sensation. Although primarily a clinical term, angina is widely recognised by the general public through its association with heart disease, making it one of the better-known words in cardiovascular medicine.
nounA medical condition marked by severe chest pain caused by an inadequate supply of blood to the heart muscle, typically due to narrowed coronary arteries. More broadly in medicine, it can refer to any spasmodic, suffocating pain, especially of the throat.
- Chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle (angina pectoris), the dominant modern usage.
- In older or broader medical terminology, any spasmodic choking or suffocating pain, such as that of the throat (e.g. Vincent's angina).
"After climbing the stairs, he felt the familiar tightness of angina and reached for his nitroglycerin tablets."
"Her doctor diagnosed stable angina and prescribed medication to improve blood flow to her heart."
"In the nineteenth century, physicians used the term 'angina' more broadly to describe suffocating inflammations of the throat as well as chest complaints."
Rarely pluralised in practice, since the word typically refers to a single patient's condition; the plural appears mainly in epidemiological or historical writing discussing multiple cases or types.
"The study compared cases of stable and unstable anginas across three hospitals."
The word 'angina' comes from the Latin 'angere', meaning 'to strangle' — because sufferers described the pain as feeling like a band tightening around their chest.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of angina
Angina comes from the Latin 'angina', itself derived from the Greek 'anchonē' meaning a strangling or choking sensation, and ultimately related to the Latin verb 'angere', 'to choke or torment'. This same root gave English several other words expressing distress, including 'anger', 'anguish', 'anxiety', and 'anxious'. The term entered English medical writing in the early seventeenth century, and its application was narrowed over time so that today it chiefly denotes cardiac chest pain, though older texts also applied it to throat conditions.
Related word forms
How angina is actually used
Angina is almost exclusively encountered in medical and health-related contexts; it is a formal clinical term rather than an everyday word. In British usage it is sometimes pronounced with stress on the second syllable (/ænˈdʒaɪnə/), while American pronunciation typically stresses the first syllable. The specific form affecting the heart is conventionally called 'angina pectoris'.
Easily confused with angina
Angina is temporary chest pain from reduced blood flow to the heart that usually eases with rest or medication, whereas a heart attack involves a complete blockage causing permanent damage to the heart muscle.