Cardia

Cardia is a term with multiple meanings in anatomy, geometry toponymy, and historical geography, derived from the Greek kardia, meaning heart.

In anatomy, cardia most commonly refers to the cardia of the stomach, the region surrounding the gastroesophageal orifice where the esophagus meets the stomach. The cardia is bounded superiorly by the diaphragmatic esophageal junction and inferiorly by the body of the stomach. It contains cardiac glands that secrete mucus to protect the mucosa from stomach acid. The esophagogastric junction, sometimes called the cardia, is a key anatomical and clinical landmark, and conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease involve this area.

Linguistically, the root kardia appears in cardiac and cardial terms, reflecting the ancient association with the heart. In some older or less formal medical usage, cardia has been used to refer to the heart itself, though contemporary anatomy more commonly uses terms like heart or cardiac.

In ancient geography, Cardia was the name of several settlements in the Greek world. The best-attested reference is to a port town on the Thracian coast, with other identifications appearing in classical sources. These sites are primarily of historical interest and are discussed in discussions of classical geography and archaeology.

Overall, Cardia is a multisense term whose meaning depends on context: a gastric region in modern anatomy, a root related to the heart in medical language, or an ancient geographic toponym in classical studies.