noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈhɑːtˌbɜːn/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈhɑɹtˌbɝn/
CMU ARPABET:HH AA1 R T B ER2 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A burning pain in the chest that is caused by stomach acid entering the gullet.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a painful burning sensation in the chest caused by gastroesophageal reflux (backflow from the stomach irritating the esophagus); symptomatic of an ulcer or a diaphragmatic hernia or other disorder
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pyrosis
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: symptom
History
Etymology
From Middle English hertbryne, herte-bren (“lust", also "heartburn”, literally “heart burn”), equivalent to heart + burn. Compare also Middle English herte-brennyng (“anger, bitterness, heartburn”, literally “burning of/in the heart, heart-burning”). Compare also Ancient Greek καρδιαλγία (kardialgía), from καρδία (kardía, “heart”) + ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”). From being a burning sensation near the location of the heart in the chest.
Across languages
Translations
100 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Amharic:
ቃር
(ḳar)
— pain caused by stomach acid
Arabic:
حُرْقَة الْمَعِدَة
— pain caused by stomach acid
Arabic:
حموضة معوية
— pain caused by stomach acid
Arabic:
حَرَقان
(ḥaragān)
— pain caused by stomach acid
Arabic:
حرْقَة
(ḥarga)
— pain caused by stomach acid
Armenian:
այրոց
(ayrocʻ)
— pain caused by stomach acid
Armenian:
այրուցք
(ayrucʻkʻ)
— pain caused by stomach acid
Asturian:
ardentía
— pain caused by stomach acid
Asturian:
ardidura
— pain caused by stomach acid
Asturian:
ardura
— pain caused by stomach acid
Asturian:
quemura
— pain caused by stomach acid
Basque:
bihotzerre
— pain caused by stomach acid
Belarusian:
пякотка
(pjakótka)
— pain caused by stomach acid
Bengali:
বুকজ্বালা
(bukojjala)
— pain caused by stomach acid
