Heartstrings

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈhɑːtstɹɪŋz/

Alternative forms

• heart-strings

Origin

From heart + strings.

Full definition of heartstrings

Noun

1. (obsolete, anatomy) The tendons once thought to brace the heart. 15th-19th c.
• 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, I.iii.2.4:The midriff and heart-strings do burn and beat very fearfully, and when this vapour or fume is stirred, flieth upward, the heart itself beats ....
2. (figuratively) One's deepest emotions or inner feelings. from 16th c.